Ryu's Fan
by DTITUS
Summary: I hated to see Kimi end! So here's the continuing story - picking up where the anime left off. Sawako and Kazehaya fumble their way through dating firsts while Chizuru struggles to understand what's happening between her and Ryu, especially when a new admirer steps up to the plate and threatens to come between them.
1. Chapter 1

****NOTES** I have not read the manga continuation so any similarities are coincidental and probably are due to the Kimi writer's hints of what will come.**

 **Names can be confusing, right? Here is a short list to remind you of who's who in the U.S. fashion of First Name followed by Last Name, then aka nicknames.**

 **Sawako Kuronuma aka Sadako**

 **Shota Kazehaya**

 **Chizuru Yoshida aka Chizu**

 **Ryu Sanada**

 **Ayane Yano aka Yano-chin**

 **Kento Miura**

 **"Pin" Arai**

 **Tomo Endou**

 **Ekko (Eriko) Harano**

-o-o-o-o-

CHIZURU

The festival clean-up day had been more eventful than ever before. First, the rumors of Sawako's ability to bewitch even Kazehaya almost started a riot in the foyer. In response, Kazehaya announced to the entire classroom (in front of Sawako, no less) that the two were officially dating and no black magic was to blame. Then the jealous Kazehaya fangirls almost ruined my perfect record of no fights since I entered high school. Luckily, Ayane was there and talked some sense into them before I began throwing elbows.

As students made their way home, I found Sawako outside tending her precious flowerbeds. While Ayane and I were dealing with the angry posse, Sawako had paid a courtesy visit to her true rival. Now, as she watered her little purple flowers, she described the encounter to me. I could see she was saddened by the whole messy ordeal. Her relationship with Kurumi was more complicated than I could apprehend.

Normally I would have been like, "Girl, you won! Be happy already!" But my own heartbreak was still fresh enough for me to feel sympathy for the loser.

I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If I were you," I told her seriously, "I think I would have done it the exact same way. There's nothing you could've said to make it easier." I recalled the worried faces of my friends after I learned of Tohru's engagement. No one could touch the tearing pain that burned in my heart that day. The truth hurt, more than anything I'd ever felt, but it was necessary to begin my healing.

My melancholy reminiscences were interrupted by the arrival of Ryu and Kazehaya. My heart leapt with joy and excitement for my friend and her new love.

 _Now to make sure they have some couple time…_

"Ryu!" I called out, leaping to my feet and chasing after him. I grabbed onto his arm and swung him around to walk with me, leaving the little lovebirds their privacy. "See you, Sawa!" I waved.

"What?" Ryu asked.

"Come on." I pulled him forward. _Geez, way to draw attention to my ploy!_

"See you, Shota," he called as we walked away.

A happy grin covered my face as I imagined the two behind me. _They're just so stinking cute!_

Ryu caught on finally. "Oh," he drawled. "I see."

I wiggled with suppressed energy and made happy noises.

"Oh, by the way, Chizuru," he said, stopping mid-stride as he remembered something.

"What?" I looked up to see him watching me with a serious expression.

"I like you."

My heart skipped a beat and I froze in place. "Wh-what?!" I felt a flush covering my cheeks. Ryu turned and continued walking as if nothing important had happened.

What kind of a love confession was that?! He knew I wasn't interested in him romantically. I figured he felt the same way. Was he serious or just kidding around? And what was the point, anyway? He obviously wasn't waiting around for me to return the sentiment.

Suddenly aware that my paralysis was being observed by the lovebirds, I yelled after him, "Hey, quit freaking me out!"

"Just saying…" he tossed over his shoulder.

Anger rushed in to cover my embarrassment. Well, if he was going to act all casual then so would I. "I knew that already!" I ran up and body slammed him for good measure.

"Oof." He took my abuse with his usual forbearance. We walked for a few minutes in silence.

"That was a goofy thing to say," I sulked.

A few more paces, and he said, "I just thought you should know."

I didn't have the answer he wanted, and I didn't want to hurt him either. Frustration fueled my temper, and my arms thrashed about as I yelled at him. "Why are you saying these things? We grew up together! You're like my brother! How can you even…" _…think of me as a woman. I don't think of you as a man. When we're together we're just kids._

I stepped back for a moment, taking him in, the whole long length of him.

I gave him that buzz cut, just as I'd been doing for several years now. He always sat patiently, never batting an eye as I bent over him in all sorts of intimate positions to finish the cut.

The collar of his button-down hung open, exposing the neck I'd often throttled in moments of frustration but little of the rest of his torso. I'd seen his bare upper body too many times to count… from when we were little and he had to change out of a shirt we'd muddied in a wrestling match to post-bathtime hangouts playing video games in his room to the thousand times he'd shed his sweaty tunic after a baseball game. I'd never stopped to look at him, and he'd never been embarrassed in front of me.

He met my fiery gaze with his usual placid expression. He shrugged, his answer to my question apparently. Typical Ryu.

I started walking again and tried to change the subject. "Don't you have practice today?"

"Yeah, but not until four. Pin has some teacher meeting or something."

My stomach growled. "Aagh, I need some ramen. I worked too hard today. Pin had me carrying all the float pieces down to the dumpster. It was like twenty trips!"

"He made us clean his office."

I wondered how he could stand having Pin as his baseball coach. But then, the bombastic man really, really liked to win, and I did appreciate that in a person.

"Do you have any practice matches coming up yet? I want to come watch," I said brightly.

"Oh." He scratched his head as he thought. "After the class field trip, I think."

We stepped up to his front door and the sweet smell of ramen called to me. I blasted inside, yelling out, "Hey, Pops! How's it going?"

Ryu's dad was clearing away a place setting at the bar and I hopped up to sit in front of him. He exchanged a nod with his son, who continued on upstairs.

"Can't complain now that you're here, Chizu-chan," he smiled broadly. "You look hungry."

"You know it! I'll have the usual—as fast as you can make it. I'm starving!"

While I waited, my mind flashed back to Ryu's stilted confession, if that's what it was. My face flushed and I squashed the thought down.

I didn't want things to change. I'd finally reconciled myself to losing my dream of being Tohru's wife. I didn't want to risk losing Ryu as well.

-o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

For future reference, it's nearly impossible to get to sleep before your first date with the girl you love. I slept in fits and starts, always waking instantly with one thought foremost in my mind: soon we would be out on our date.

It seemed like an eternity before finally I found myself seated on a retaining wall at the park where we'd agreed to meet. It was a perfect day, as if God were smiling on us after all our heartaches and misunderstandings. If I were God, I'd definitely smile on Sawako, er, Kuronoma. Her heart is so pure and full of goodness and love and gentleness and…

A splash of yellow blew in the mild breeze and I caught my breath at the sight of her. The wind played with the long strands of her dark hair. The sundress she wore made her appear even more graceful and feminine than usual.

As she spotted me her eyes widened. Chagrin laced her tone as she said, "Oh, I've made you wait again. I'm sorry!"

A familiar protective instinct welled up inside me. I wanted to put her at ease, but I was still trying to get over the shock of seeing her looking so pretty. "D-don't worry. I just came early." As it often did in these situations, my mouth blurted out the truth before I could censor it. "I was so nervous that I woke up ahead of schedule." I stood and started to walk.

"I did too!" She fell into step beside me. I liked it.

The air around us seemed to hum. Everything was more beautiful because of this happy feeling inside. I slid my hands into my pockets and snuck a glance at her.

Her eyes were on me as well, and she blushed. "Sorry," I said with a faint smile. "I have to keep checking to make sure this is real."

Her big brown eyes widened but sparkled with gratitude. Her lips firmed in resolve and she nodded agreement. It was a little easier to say these embarrassing things now that I knew she felt the same way.

Before we could trip over a curb or something, I broke eye contact. I tried changing the subject. "What's your family doing today?"

"Oh, um. My father went fishing. He does that a lot." We turned down the street leading to the planetarium where we were headed. "And I think my mom has some work to do."

"She can work from home?" I asked. "What does she do?"

"She builds websites and keeps them running. I…I really should know more about it, but when I ask she says she doesn't want to talk about the same thing she's been doing all day."

"That makes sense. You don't have any brothers or sisters?" _Why don't I know that anyway?_

"No. I wish I'd had a little sister to take care of." That longing on her face melted my heart. She looked up suddenly. "But I might have scared her too, and that would have made me feel awful!"

I laughed. "Kuronoma, you're not as scary as you think. I'm sure your little sister would have loved you." _Just like I do._

We had reached the building, and I opened the heavy glass door for my date. The airy lobby was mostly empty, but a friendly looking older man moved to the ticket counter. "Here for the ten o'clock show?" he asked.

At my nod, he confirmed the price. As I reached for my wallet I noticed Sawako unclasping her purse.

"Kuronoma," I said sharply. She froze and met my stare. I laid my hand over the one she still rested on her purse. "Today is my treat. Okay?"

Her eyes grew wide and she nodded her assent. I removed my hand from hers, now conscious of what I'd done. As I finished purchasing our tickets, the cashier said, "There's still awhile until the show starts. You can visit the exhibits room," he gestured to a doorway nearby. "Or," he leaned toward me with a conspiratorial smile, "you can feel free to find some good seats in the theater and just wait for the show." Sawako was looking away toward the theater entrance, and the man winked at me. "You never know. Might be a crowd if you wait," he said, still smiling knowingly.

I was pretty sure there wouldn't be a crowd at this time of day. I blushed furiously. "Thanks," I choked out, turning quickly toward Sawako. I heard a chuckle behind me.

I stepped away from the counter and Sawako followed as I'd hoped. I stopped before the door to the exhibits room. "Do you want to look in here first? Or…" I couldn't say it without remembering the cashier's implication. It was just too embarrassing.

"Um, if that's what you want to do. But he said we should get seats for the show first, didn't he?" Her face was open, unaware of his plotting.

I looked away from her intense gaze. "Ah, yeah. He did." I rubbed the back of my neck and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. "Let's go," I said encouragingly.

We passed through the curtain single file to a dim interior illuminated only by strip lights along the side of the ceiling. Sawako drew in a breath. Funny how I could hear the wonder in it before she ever said a word.

"It's so big!" She was gazing up at the large domed ceiling, her delicate mouth hanging open. A warm feeling flooded through me and a genuine smile came to my lips.

When she'd had her fill of gawking at the structure, I asked her, "Where do you want to sit?"

She demurred, refusing to make a choice, so I picked for us. The velvet seat backs rocked a bit as we plunked ourselves down.

"Wow! They recline!" She sounded amazed. I loved how the simplest things seemed to delight her.

I finished settling my bag in the seat next to mine and relaxed back into the plush chair. With my long legs it felt comfortable to recline. I turned my head to answer her. "It's different from a movie theater, isn't it?" I said, happy to share this with her. She was in a similar position facing me.

Her luminous eyes captured mine and I drank in every detail of her face. I could see the delicate curve of her eyelashes, the straight line of her dainty nose, the way her upper lip jutted out just a bit over the lower.

I could scarcely believe after all the months I'd waited and wished for this that finally we were together and I could admit how I felt for her.

Our shoulders brushed and I became aware of how close we were. The desire to kiss her flashed through me with a zing. I didn't know what to do with it, but I knew now was not the right time. Heat was creeping up my neck, and Sawako was starting to blush as well. I jerked my head forward and tried to settle my uneven breathing.

After an awkward pause, I heard her draw in a fortifying breath. "Um," she began hesitantly. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"Oh, sure," I grabbed onto the neutral topic but kept my gaze on the ceiling for now. "I have a little brother. He's nine."

"Ohhh!" Delight colored her tone. "That must be so much fun!"

A laugh burst from me. "He's alright I guess. He likes to hang all over me and get into my stuff. But most of the time I don't mind."

"He- he probably admires you so much!"

I turned to face her again with a smile. Her eyes were full of admiration and I felt the usual mixture of pride that she thought well of me and worry that that was all she really felt. My mind flashed back to the confession she made in the classroom the other day. In that moment I was convinced that she really cared for me as I did her.

Coming back to reality I saw that Sawako wore an anxious expression. Probably my face had betrayed my misgivings. I reached over and gently brushed her bangs back. "Thanks," I said softly.

She seemed to relax and the rest of the time flew by as we experienced the thrill and the awkwardness of being together, really together as a couple.


	2. Chapter 2

CHIZURU

"Aaaargh! I just don't get it!" I slapped my pencil down on the open text book. Rising languidly, I went hunting for my cell phone. I dialed Sawako and wandered through the house as I waited for her to pick up.

"H-hello?" she answered tentatively, as she always did.

"Sawako!" I greeted her enthusiastically. "Have you done the math homework yet?"

"Oh, yes."

"Are you busy then? I was hoping I could come over and get your help with it."

"Oh!" She sounded odd. "I-I can't. I'm so sorry! I want to help you, but I'm… I'm not home right now." I noticed for the first time the hum of background noise. From the general clinking of plates and utensils it sounded like she was at a restaurant. My stomach clenched in response; I hadn't realized it was lunch time.

"Oh, are you having lunch? Where are you? Maybe I can meet up with you," I suggested.

"Oh! Chizu-chan!" she sounded distressed now. "I'm sorry!"

 _Huh?_

I heard a lower voice addressing her in the background, and then Sawako continued, her words coming in a breathless rush. "I – I'm on a date!"

"Ohh," I burst into laughter. "So that's how it is," I teased. "Don't worry about it then. Say hi to Kazehaya for me," I finished slyly.

She signed off with more apologies and I drifted into the kitchen for some food. A smile was plastered on my face, and I texted Ayane while I heated some lunch. _"Sawako is on a date with Kazehaya!"_

She didn't text me back immediately, and when I finished eating, I wasn't ready to face those math problems again. I was restless from sitting so long, so I grabbed a soccer ball and headed outside.

I practiced some tricks and bounced the ball from one knee to the other. I was breathing pretty heavily by the time I heard a familiar rhythmic tread approaching.

"Ryu." I caught the ball in both hands and turned to acknowledge him. He slowed from a brisk jog to stand before me, still bouncing from foot to foot. He swept the baseball cap from his head and wiped his brow with the back of one arm.

"I hope all this training pays off," I said, a challenge in my voice.

"Yeah." He took a swig from the water bottle he carried.

"What're you doing after this?" I asked him. Maybe I could escape from my homework after all.

"Don't know."

"There's a new MMO game I want to show you."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll go grab my laptop and stuff and come right over."

A hint of a smile curved his lips. "Okay. See you," he called as he took off jogging again.

I chatted with Pops for a few minutes before heading upstairs to Ryu's room. I made myself comfortable on the floor using the bed as a backrest. I was booting up his laptop when I heard the door slide open.

I looked up as I asked, "What's your password again?"

I was thinking about the password, but for some reason I noticed the droplets of water dotting the smooth skin of his muscled shoulders. He was wearing only athletic shorts and his hair was still wet from the bath.

" _I like you."_ His words popped into my head, and I tore my eyes away, the picture of his toned body still imprinted on my mind. Flustered, I missed his answer and had to ask again.

I got us logged on while he put on a fresh t-shirt. He worked beside me setting up a wireless controller for each computer. We worked in tandem, our division of labor decided many games ago.

"Have you talked to Kazehaya today?" I asked oh-so-innocently.

He shot me a suspicious glance. _Oh, right. He knows my actual innocent tone from my fake innocent one._

I gave up all pretense and smiled like the cat who ate the canary. "He and Sawako are out on a date," I practically sang.

"Now that they're together you guys have no reason to keep pestering them."

 _Party pooper._ "Yeah, yeah. So about this game…."

-o-o-o-o

The game was pretty fun and definitely novel. Our characters met up and we watched each other's backs since there were a lot of other players. Time flew by and Pops called up the stairs for Ryu to come eat and help with the dinner service.

"You go on," I told him. "I just want to see what's past that weird-looking hill there."

"No, you shouldn't go alone."

"Ryu, it's a game. What's the worst that could happen?"

So his character turned and shot mine.

"Wha… You total loser! Why did you do that?!" I ditched the controller and went after him. I propelled my body into his and grappled for his throat. He grabbed my hands and held me at bay but I still struggled, pushing him flat on his back so I could dig my elbows into his ribs. He was chuckling, which made me even more mad.

Eventually he had both my small wrists trapped in one hand while his other arm circled behind me, locking me against his chest so I couldn't wriggle free. "Say, Uncle," he challenged—the usual conclusion to one of my outbursts.

"Ha! You're the one pinned down!" I panted, still recovering from our tussle.

Ryu, on the other hand, wasn't tired at all. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest under me, completely unaffected by my weight. He'd always been stockier than Tohru, and the past few years of baseball training had done its job. He felt solid.

A triumphant smile curved his lips and I noticed how close they were to mine. _"I like you."_ It echoed in my mind again and I became aware of how intimately I was sprawled all over him.

I panicked and pushed against him, this time trying to get away from his suddenly too-close body. His smile dropped and concern lit his eyes. When he eased his hold on me I quickly clambered off.

"I'm going home," I said, packing my laptop to avoid making eye contact. He was quiet behind me.

By the time I zipped up its case I'd pulled myself together, outwardly at least.

"Alright then," I said with false cheerfulness, waving one hand as I stepped through the doorway. "See you!"

"Yeah," he answered my back. He still sounded… puzzled, or worried.

 _Whatever. He shouldn't have shot me._

 _-o-o-o-o-o_

KAZEHAYA

Clouds covered the sky and the cool air was moisture-laden, stopping just short of being actual mist or rain. It was a stupid day to be dawdling outside, but I wanted to wait for Sawako before we were separated all morning in class. From my spot on the steps, I was able to greet my friends as usual. A small group had collected around me, and we joked around and talked about nothing important.

When I finally laid eyes on her, a jolt seemed to go through me. I watched her approaching, my eyes unwilling to look away, so I saw how she seemed to start when she noticed me in the center of the crowd. At least I wasn't the only one with these intense feelings.

I knew she wouldn't want to intrude on my conversation, so I stepped away from the circle to greet her directly. "Good morning."

She looked frightened. "G-good morning."

I realized the hungry way I was staring at her probably was freaking her out. I gave her a mega watt grin and watched as her shoulders relaxed and a tentative smile crept up her face. I turned to accompany her inside, matching my strides to hers.

"Here, I'll hold that," I offered as she was about to set her school bag on the ground to change shoes.

"Oh, you don't have to…"

"Boyfriend privilege," I reminded her, leaning in and smiling impishly as I reached for the handle. My fingers brushed over hers as I took it, and my heart jumped at the innocent contact.

"Saaa-wako-chan!" Yoshida's sing-song greeting rang out just before she insinuated herself between us, flinging one elbow around my neck, the other –more gently—around Sawako's. "Did you have a good time yesterday?" Mischief oozed from her. "Did Kazehaya behave like a gentleman?"

"Yes, of…of course," Sawako answered with her usual sincerity. Irritated with Yoshida, I tried to squirm out of her stranglehold. I couldn't help but wonder how this scene would play out the day after our first kiss.

Freeing myself, I went to change my shoes. Absently I heard Sawako asking Yoshida about her math homework.

I made my way upstairs, stopping now and then to catch up with friends in the hallway, and avoiding been seen by Pin as he discussed what sounded like beach destinations with an attractive teacher of first-years. My usual good humor was restored by the time I reached the classroom, but I felt jealousy crackle in my gut when I entered and saw Kento Miura turned sideways in his seat chatting up my girlfriend.

I made a point to stop between them as I returned Sawako's bag to her. She looked completely innocent as she thanked me effusively. I took a deep breath as I reminded myself that she was unaware of Kento's feelings and former designs on her.

Pin's voice cut in. "Go on, go on, take your seats."

"See you later," I told Sawako as I turned back toward my desk. I sighed, wishing for the millionth time that we were back in our seats from last year.

"Apparently one of my responsibilities as your homeroom teacher is to arrange for a class field trip." Shuffling and excited whispers followed Pin's announcement.

"I'm sure you have little else to look forward to in your pathetic little lives, so you can work out most of the planning on your own. Miura!"

"What?" He appeared unflummoxed.

"As class representative, you're in charge of making sure this gets done."

 _Ha! That put a frown on his annoying face._

"Put together a planning committee or something," Pin said, waving his hand dismissively.

Endou asked, "Mr. Arai, shouldn't we decide as a class where we will go on our field trip?"

"I have already decided," Pin announced, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture. "We're going to the beach!"

"Which one?" someone asked excitedly.

"Uhh..." Pin tapped his hand and looked upward. Finally he looked at the class again and drew down his brows sternly. "I'll go over that with Miura later."

As he continued rambling, my mind wandered. The beach. I'd been many times to the local one, most recently during the after-festival party. I held mixed emotions about that time. Pin's prank proposal still rankled, but soon afterward Sawako agreed to go out with me. That was at night, of course; I wondered what it would be like in the day time. Would Sawako wear a bathing suit in public?

I felt my face color, and Pin yelled. "Hey! Stop thinking perverted thoughts!"

I looked up in shock, but his beady eyes were fixed on Joe and his neighbor, both of whom were sputtering. For once I was thankful for my current seat, which was far in the back of the classroom.


	3. Chapter 3

KAZEHAYA

As I put away my notebook for lunch break, I heard a strident female voice. "Look, it's cleared up now—the sun's even shining. We can eat on the benches outside." Yoshida was leaning on Sawako's desk and had her full attention. In fact, she was already nodding.

Yano caught my eye from where she sat at her desk behind them. She raised an eyebrow. I turned away and went to retrieve my lunch from the lockers.

"Kazehaya." Yano had come up beside me. There was kindness in her voice. "She needs time with her girlfriends. Make plans to see her after school or something."

I looked past her to see Sawako smiling as Yoshida laughed uproariously at something. "You're right," I conceded. We walked back to Sawako's desk.

"Kuronoma." When she looked up, I went on. "I'm headed outside to play soccer. Do you mind?"

"No, that's fine." Was it my imagination, or did she look a little disappointed?

"Maybe you could come see Maru after school. Are you busy?"

Her face softened with the look reserved for my dog. _Lucky mutt._

"Mmm, no. I mean, I'd like to see little Maru-chan again."

"Well," I laughed, "He's not too little anymore, but I'm sure he's missed you."

"Kazehaya!" the guys yelled from the doorway. "You in?"

"Coming!" I answered. I met Sawako's gentle gaze. "See you later," I said, really happy that I would.

Behind me I heard Yano's voice, laden with innuendo: "He's _missed_ you." Female laughter exploded.

 _So annoying._

o-o-o-o-o

CHIZURU

"Ryu!" I called, jogging to catch up to him at the lockers. "I heard about a new ramen place that just opened up. Want to go try it?"

"My dad owns a ramen restaurant."

I elbowed him repeatedly. "Gotta check out the competition, eh?"

"Can't," he answered, turning to pull out his athletic bag. "I've got practice."

"Hmph." I pouted. Ayane had plans. Sawako had plans. Ryu had plans.

I sighed. "Well, it's not too hot out. Maybe I'll come watch for a while."

He stopped rummaging in the bag and looked at me. A hint of a smile turned up one side of his mouth. It made me feel self-conscious.

I retreated. "Later!" I called, swinging around and heading for the exit.

I found a spot on the grassy hill overlooking the ruddy baseball diamond. A few guys were already fielding grounders to warm up. Reluctantly I pulled out my English homework. I could at least _try_ to study, until things got interesting.

When I next looked up, I saw that Ryu had arrived, dressed out now in athletic attire. He and the pitcher were just finishing their stretches, and he turned back toward the dugout for his gear. As he walked, he peeled off his warm-up jacket and wiped his brow, his white baseball tee pulling taut over his shoulder blades.

"Yummy," said an alto voice behind me. The tittering of at least two females followed. I turned to see what kind of bimbos were polluting my air.

I'd never noticed them before and they looked kind of starry-eyed. Must be first-years.

One was unremarkable. The other looked like a pixie, petite and dainty-looking, with big amber eyes and close-cropped curls that made her look adorable.

I felt suspicious. _Probably just reminds me of Kurumi-chan._

"Oh, how I love baseball players," sighed the voice from before. "I dated the pitcher at my old school, but he'll mostly be on the bench until the third-years graduate. So who should I choose this year?" she mused, apparently with complete sincerity.

 _Ugh, these girls. Maybe I should pack up now and head home._

"I've got my eye on that catcher," said a tinkling voice that was just as cute as its owner.

 _Catcher? But that's…_

I'd been staring absently at the field throughout their distracting chatter, but now that I looked, sure enough, Ryu was the one warming up behind home plate.

 _Why that little…_ Anger steamed up my neck and to the top of my head before I remembered. I had no reason to be upset. Sure, Ryu said he liked me. But I didn't return the sentiment.

 _I guess, I guess that girl can like Ryu all she wants. It shouldn't matter to me._

I slammed my book shut and tossed it in my bag. I was tired of watching his dumb practice anyway.

o-o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

We decided to go to my house first and pick up Maru so we could take him for a walk while Sawako made her way back home. As we passed through the front gate, I jerked a nod toward the side of the house. "This way," I smiled.

As I headed for the back yard and the shed that housed my bike, a familiar whumping sound came to my ears. Rounding the corner, I spotted my little brother throwing pitches against a target he'd rigged up a few weeks ago. The scraping of the shed door alerted him to our presence.

"Shota!" he yelled happily. I heard a squeak next to me. Sawako was staring at my little brother with the expression she usually reserved for Maru: hands clasped under her chin, eyes shining with adoration. _Lucky brat._

Spotting Sawako, he padded over. "Who's this? Your girlfriend?" he taunted.

Her gleeful swaying halted in alarm. "Yes," I stated firmly. His eyes bugged out of his head and I watched his mouth open and close like a fish. "Her name is Kuronuma-san."

Turning to her I said, "This is my annoying little brother, Touta."

"P-pleased to meet you, Touta-chan."

Touta continued to stare at my girlfriend in disbelief.

 _Uh-oh. It looks like Sawako's about to…oh, boy, and there it is. Her forced smile._

Touta shrank back, whispering something that sounded like 'scary.'

"Touta," I rescued us all. "Go, get us some drinks, would you?" He nodded, backing away slowly then shooting up the steps to the back door. I took the opportunity to put away my bike. Happy yips sounded from inside the house, and as I closed up the shed I turned to see Maru tearing out the door Touta had left ajar.

"Maru-chan!" Sawako crooned, squatting down with her arms open to receive him. As usual he passed right by her and jumped up against my knees. I was thankful once again that Sawako's feelings weren't easily bruised.

"Maru, you never learn, do you?" I picked him up and carried his pudgy white body over to the steps where I plunked down. He wiggled in my lap.

"Kuronuma," I called, and patted the spot beside me. She gracefully seated herself there.

"Maru," I pretended to scold him, lifting his upper body so his face met mine. "This is my girlfriend, Kuronuma. She's very sweet, and she's kind to everyone, even dogs who are too dumb to thank her for giving them her umbrella when it's raining. So I suggest you make friends with her." I turned us both toward Sawako. The false smile was gone now and her eyes were shining with joy.

But they were shining at me, not Maru. I felt a blush tinge my cheeks.

 _I guess she's not used to people complimenting her. I'll have to try and do that more often._

With her scary expression erased, Maru no longer hesitated but tumbled into her lap. Her musical laugh spilled out as she tried to pet the wriggling creature. His doggy brain followed the sound and set about trying to lick her face, which just caused her to giggle more.

My heart responded by melting into warm gooey chocolate.

I heard a gasp behind me and realized Touta had seen her smile as well. Maru jumped from Sawako's lap to leap on my brother. Turning to help him, I caught a fleeting glimpse of his star-struck expression. _Yeah, buddy, you and me both._

I took the juice bottles from his hands and gave one to Kuronuma.

"Thank you very much!"

Touta pushed past me, knocking my arm as I opened the bottle. "Hey!" I cried.

He took up position in front of Sawako. His face settled into a skeptical look. "Are you really his girlfriend?"

As expected, she turned quite red. But in the next moment she sat more erect and gave a resolute nod. "Mm-hmm."

He looked genuinely puzzled. "Why?"

"All right, knock it off before I…"

"Do you play baseball?"

 _Random question._

"No." She appeared to think a moment. "But I did learn to play soccer for the sports festival."

 _Ah, a safe topic!_ I jumped on board. "Yeah, and she did great too. She's a really fast runner."

"She is?!"

Sawako's soft voice answered thoughtfully. "Well, I do go for a run every Sunday. But I stop a lot to pick up trash and recycling."

Now we were both giving her disbelieving looks. I shook it off. "Alright, Squirt, go do your homework. I've got to walk S… uh, Kuronuma home."

Soon we had Maru on his leash and we were strolling along the riverbank. The day had indeed cleared up nicely and the late afternoon sun glowed. I looked over at Sawako. Her long black hair gleamed as it swayed in the breeze.

Maru seemed to note my inattention and chose that moment to strike out across the path, yanking me off-balance toward Sawako.

The good news? I regained my balance quickly and didn't fall all over her.

The bad news? When I stumbled, she caught my hand for a moment to keep me from falling. She dropped it just as quickly, but now I was obsessing about holding her hand. That's what couples do, right? When they're strolling along like this on a pleasant afternoon…

It was right there, swaying inches from mine. In fact, our hands were nearly swinging in unison. _It would be so easy, just catch it on the upswing and…_

 _No, no. Can't do it!_

 _What would she think? Would she freak out? Probably._

 _But maybe not. I'm the guy after all, she probably expects me to be the one to initiate something like that._

 _But maybe it's too soon._

 _But now I really want to!_ A noise of frustration escaped.

"Are you feeling ill?" Sawako asked kindly, stopping to check. "I can walk the rest of the way on my own. See, there's my house."

 _Already?_

"No, I'm fine." I gave her a reassuring smile. Then I thought of something. "While we're here, do you… do you want me to come in and meet your parents?"

She blushed and did that nervous dance she liked so well. "N-not today."

 _Okay, well, that's a relief. But don't say so out loud._

"Alright then, I guess I'll turn off here," I said, indicating a cross road.

She smiled and nodded. "I- I had fun today."

A genuine smile crept over my face. "Me too," I responded warmly. "I wish…" I looked out over the river and let my voice trail away. Everything in me called out for her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

 _I wish we didn't have to be apart. I wish we could go home together and eat dinner together and stay together… forever…._

I reached one arm around her and wrapped her in a hug. My eyes drifted shut. The scent of her shampoo filled my nostrils. I felt a feather-light touch on my back and her head seemed to nestle a little closer into my shoulder.

"I'll miss you," I whispered against her hair.

"Mm," she agreed.

The neglected dog gave a hard yank on his leash and I stumbled. Regretfully, I released Sawako. To cover our self-consciousness, I leaned over and scooped up the offending animal.

"There, you see?" I said brightly. "Maru, says he'll miss you too."

"Maru-chan," she crooned, stroking his head affectionately. He grinned obligingly and gave her a doggy kiss on the cheek. She was delighted.

 _Lucky mutt._


	4. Chapter 4

CHIZURU

It was several days later that Yano-chin plopped a catalog on my desk at lunchtime. "What's that?" I asked.

"Swimsuit catalog," she enthused.

"Oh." My lack of enthusiasm was obvious.

She began flipping through the pages, her expert eye for fashion missing nothing. I yawned. Even with the windows open, the classroom was overly warm. A couple rows up I could see Ryu sprawled over his desk, unconscious.

"Here's one that would look good on you," Yano-chin said, turning it so I could see. "You have such a long torso," she mused.

"I can dress myself," I responded.

She gave a derisive snort. "Last summer you showed up in a sports bra and cut-offs."

"There was a volleyball tournament," I defended. "Still," I said, starting to flip through the pages. "I guess it would be fun to go shopping."

We were deciding on a day to visit the stores when a loud call cut across the lunchtime buzz. "Hey, Ryu! Wake up!"

For some reason I was attuned to his name. My eyes unconsciously sought out the source of the commotion. Ryu was rousing himself as one of the guys elbowed him and made impatient gestures in the direction of the door. Following his gaze I saw none other than the pixie girl from the other day, standing just outside the classroom clasping a notebook to her chest. Her posture was oh-so-innocent, but her keen gaze followed Ryu as he stood languidly and made his way over to meet her. They disappeared through the door.

I thought the suspense was going to kill me. Who on earth was she and how come Ryu didn't look surprised to see her? Had she really made a move already? My stomach felt kind of nauseous.

Yano-chin's voice broke into my thoughts. "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" I tore my gaze away from the empty doorway. "I think my lunch isn't sitting too well." My eyes wandered back, waiting for Ryu to return.

"Do you want me to take you to the nurse's office?"

"Maybe," I said, brightening. Then I could at least see what was happening in the hall with Ryu and that girl. But just as I was about to stand, he loped back in and got caught up in a group of guys talking sports.

"Never mind," I said. Yano-chin just looked thoughtfully from me to Ryu.

o-o-o-o-o

I spaced out a lot that afternoon. Well, more than usual. My math exam might just make the teacher cry. I breathed a sigh of relief when the last bell finally rang.

I zipped up my bag and turned to Yano-chin. "What are you doing this afternoon? Want to go for tea or a snack?"

She sighed heavily. "I have to help my mom with some stuff around the house." She wore a sour expression.

"Oh." I backed off.

She sighed again. "Yeah, I better get going."

"Later then." Puzzled, I watched her leave. Why was everyone acting weird today?

I caught up to Sawako as she headed into the hall. "Hey, Sawa, are you free this afternoon?"

She looked at me happily. "Mm, I guess so. I thought I would re-copy my math notes from the last lesson, but if you need me I'm sure I can find time for that later."

I laughed. "Well, I wouldn't say I _need_ you, I just thought we could…" I reconsidered. "Actually, I might need you. Do you think you could explain some of that math stuff while you copy over your notes? I was totally lost today."

A pleased smile lit her face and the air seemed to shimmer with its radiance. She nodded.

As we approached the shoe lockers, I spotted Ryu pulling out his bag.

 _Hmmm._

I kicked off my shoes. "Hey, Sawa. Let's grab some drinks and head over to the athletic fields. We can sit outside."

"Okay. I think summer is such a happy season. Don't you?"

"Yeah! There's the Koshien tournament, the World Cup, the Birdman Competition…"

We finished changing and bought some juice and snacks from the vending machines. We made our way past Sawako's flowerbeds, still bursting with blooms.

"So where's Kazehaya, anyway? I didn't see him after class."

"He had to go to a meeting. Miura-kun asked me to help on the planning committee for the field trip, but when I mentioned it to Kazehaya-kun, he wanted to go in my place."

I smirked. _Yeah, I bet he did. Trying to keep you away from Miura._

"Well, wasn't that nice of him?" I said, with just a hint of sarcasm. She agreed sincerely.

As we approached the field, I was relieved to find the grassy hill unoccupied. Part of me expected that pixie girl to be hanging around. Who comes to watch practices unless they like one of the team members, anyway?

Halfway down the hill I let my bag drop to the ground and took a seat. _Time to get serious about math._ I drooped.

I pulled my arms around my knees. My eyes drifted to home plate, searching for a certain person. Not there yet. He emerged from the dugout moments later. My heart suddenly felt lighter.

"Alright," I said to Sawako. "Let's do this."

o-o-o-o-o

Some time later Kazehaya's cheerful call drifted over the breeze from above us. "Kuronuma!" We turned to see him ambling down the hill in our direction.

"Ah, Kazehaya!" I couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "How did you enjoy Miura's meeting?" A knowing grin covered my face.

He scowled at me briefly. "About what you'd expect. But the rep from the other class was very helpful. It seems her teacher already had their trip pretty well planned out. Pin figured he could just jump on board and not have to do any of the work."

"Oh, that makes sense. I wondered why he was so determined to go to the beach."

"Yeah." He looked at Sawako. "Can I walk you home?"

 _Aww my gawsh, they're so cute._

Sawako clasped her hands nervously. "Oh, you don't have to…"

Kazehaya interrupted, a charming smile focused only on her. "But I can, can't I?"

She melted, her lips curving up in answer. "All right." She shot an anxious glance at me. "That is, if it's okay with…"

"Yeah, yeah," I waved her off. "You've done all you can for me." I offered her a genuine smile. "Thanks for your help, Sawako."

She stood, carefully dusting off her skirt. Kazehaya reached for her bag at the same time she did. As they bent over, their faces met. A grin stretched my cheeks as I watched them blush in perfect coordination, then straighten and look away.

 _Cuteness overload!_

We said our goodbyes and I lay back on the grass, pillowing my head on my hands. Overhead, the sun was periodically covered by patches of clouds –the good kind, I remembered from science class, the ones that look like whipped cream. _Mmm…whipped cream…_

o-o-o-o-o

Something was nudging my foot. Apparently I'd drifted off. Dragging my heavy eyelids open, I saw Ryu towering over me. "Time to go home," he said.

"Mmm, yeah. Thanks," I said, sitting up groggily and gathering my stuff. He offered me a hand and pulled me easily to my feet. I caught a whiff of athlete, but I was used to it by now. We fell into an easy rhythm as we began the trek homeward.

"How was practice?"

"Okay." He rolled his right shoulder a few times.

"The shortstop looked kinda familiar, but he's new, right?"

"He played second last year."

"Oh, I see." I had attended most of the home games. "He plays in a little too far, don't you think?"

He turned to study my face for several long moments. "You were watching." He seemed surprised.

His steady gaze unsettled me. I sputtered, "Well, yeah, a little. I was trying to work on math and it's so boring…" I trailed off. The sound of our steps echoed in the quiet.

"You're probably right," he said. I looked at him in question. "About the shortstop. I'll keep an eye out tomorrow."

My chest swelled with pride. I opened my mouth to brag about my armchair coaching abilities but noticed him staring at my midsection with a smile. Belatedly I realized I'd been fingering the beads on my bracelet—the one he gave me for my birthday. Why did I decide to wear that today again? Quickly I dropped my hands to my sides.

His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. "Whoa!" I said. "When's the last time you ate? Yesterday?"

"I'm a growing boy," he answered with his usual muted humor.

"You should eat some fruit before practice."

"I forgot to bring some."

I dug in the pocket of my bag. "Here." I handed him one of the power bars I'd bought earlier.

"Oh. Thanks."

As he hungrily devoured my offering, something welled up inside me… a kind of contented, bubbly feeling.

 _Weird._

o-o-o-o-o

"So, Sunday then?" I confirmed with Ayane. I sat on the windowsill by her desk before the school day began.

"That works for me. And it's a good excuse to get out of the house all day." Her face betrayed irritation.

"Out of the house? Since when do you care about that? Your mom is totally chill."

"Her boyfriend's moving in this weekend."

"Oh." _Awkward._

"Yeah." She played with a strand of hair by her face. "I mean, I get that's what they want-he's been hanging around all the time anyway—but it's just… I feel like I'm in the way in my own house. It's annoying."

"Wow. I didn't know."

She met my eyes and waved away my concern. "Don't worry about it. If I kept you updated on all her relationships, your head would swim." She looked out the window. "But this is the first one that's moved in since that creep she caught trying to sneak into my room when I was like ten."

I looked at her in horror.

"Anyway," she continued. "Getting out for a day sounds great."

"Yano-chin." I expressed myself as earnestly as possible. "You know you can come hang out at my house any time." Tears, ever close to the surface, overflowed. "Any time, you hear me. In fact, I'll be really mad if you don't come over more!"

She gave me one of her indulgent smiles. "Alright, alright. Geez, you cry too easily."

"Hey!" She snapped her fingers. "I know what will cheer you up. Let's ask Sawako to come along." She giggled. "Can you just imagine what kind of swimsuit she owns?"

A parade of images floated through my mind…from bloomers to sack dresses to granny skirts. "I see what you mean," I said.

"Aaand," Ayane's voice took on a wicked tone. "She does have someone to impress now, doesn't she?"

Our eyes met in gleeful conspiracy.


	5. Chapter 5

CHIZURU

It didn't take much to convince Sawako that her school swimsuit was not going to cut it.

" _None of the other girls are going to wear theirs." I told her._

" _And you want to look cute for Kazehaya, right?" Ayane asked._

 _Success._

And so Sunday found us making our way through the mall to the first store on our itinerary. We stepped into one of Ayane's favorites and began picking our way through the racks. With summer almost upon us, the department was well-stocked and we had plenty of choices.

"Oh my gosh," Ayane giggled. "Have you ever seen anything so hideous?" She pointed to a sturdy looking two-piece featuring a gaudy flower print and tiny plastic blooms on each strap.

I giggled too. "Wow."

Sawako looked bewildered. _Oh crap. She does have a thing for flowers. I hope she doesn't actually like that thing._

She opened her mouth tentatively. "So that's not…cute?"

Ayane sobered and caught my eye. "Well," she covered quickly. "It wouldn't look cute on _you_. You have to take into account your, um, individual assets…"

I rolled my eyes. _Assets? Really, Ayane? You couldn't think of anything less cliché?_

She shot me an exasperated, slightly desperate, well-what-would- _you_ -say look.

I jumped in. "You're not as tall as me, but you're thin. What colors do you like?"

She listed a few and allowed Ayane and me to choose several suits for her to try on. I thought she might balk at wearing a bikini, but her innocence worked in our favor this time and she offered no protests. We all took our selections to the dressing room. As Sawako slipped into one of the cubicles with our choices I caught Ayane's arm. "Why do I feel vaguely guilty?"

"Our little girl's growing up," she replied slyly.

I slipped into another cubicle and tried on my favorite. "Sawako-chan," I called through the partition. "Do you need any help?"

"No…thank you though." _So sweet._

"Well, come out and show us how it looks," Ayane called from outside my curtain.

I stepped out first. "What do you think?" I asked her.

She eyed me up and down. "You need more up top. Did you pick up any with ruffles or at least some padding?"

"Hmph." My retort was cut off by the appearance of Sawako. It was shocking to see so much skin on her, but in truth her body was fairly average. Slender, as I'd noted, and kind of delicate. More the body of a dancer than an athlete.

Ayane was examining the suit with a critical eye. "Not bad. How do you like it?"

"Is it cute?" Sawako asked shyly.

Her handler smiled gently. "Very cute. Now go try on another one."

As Sawako obediently slipped behind the curtain again, Ayane caught my eye.

"I know." I told her. "Our next stop is that place that does waxing."

"It's called a salon," she muttered as she turned back to her cubicle.

o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

Most days I walked Sawako home after school. It was out of my way, but the time we spent together was worth it.

Except that my obsession was starting to drive me crazy. We'd be walking along, reviewing the events of the day or talking about whatever. And then we'd get quiet for a minute and it was peaceful and happy-the sun warming my back, her pleated skirt rippling in the breeze. And then I'd feel the crackling in the air between our hands. And just when I was ready to take hers at last, she'd point out a dragonfly, or reach up to pull a strand of hair from her face, or something! It was always something!

Then we went to the movies Saturday night. The movies, right? It's every guy's go-to for a reason! Nice and dark. Her hand on the arm rest. No problem.

But the same thing happened. She'd lace her hands in her lap. When she did use an armrest, she chose the one on the opposite side. When she finally inadvertently used the one on my side, I let some time go by so I wouldn't be, like, pouncing on her. But just as I was ready to make my move, she reached for her drink.

 _Geez, just listen to me! 'Make my move.' It's just a simple, innocent, perfectly normal thing for a couple to hold hands. And I'd really, really like to try it. SOON!_

I couldn't see her Sunday because she was going shopping with Yoshida and Yano for bathing suits. Yeah, I've been trying to keep that image out of my mind ever since.

I think I'm sweating. Why is it so hot in here?

"Stand." I stood. "Bow." Finally, Monday was over. But I wouldn't be walking her home today.

"Kazehaya!" Joe trotted up to my desk. He asked me several inane questions about the upcoming field trip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sawako cast a glance my way then give up and follow her classmates from the room.

"Tell you what," I cut off the rambler. "I'll bring that up in our committee meeting today. But why don't you try asking Kento? He's in charge, you know."

"Oh, right. See you!"

I packed my things hastily and charged out the door.

I saw her disappearing down the hall with Yano and Yoshida. "Sawako!" I called, trotting up and grasping her arm. "I have to stay after for a committee meeting, but I'll message you later, okay?"

Three heads swiveled in unison, all three staring wide-eyed. I checked behind me to see if something else had caught their attention, but the hall showed its usual buzz of students after school. Turning back to the trio, I noticed Yano looking overly satisfied.

 _What's their deal?_ It wasn't that unusual for me to check in with Sawako when… with… Sawako! _Aw, man, I said it out loud, didn't I?_ I felt that wretched blush creeping up my cheeks and watched my girlfriend begin to stutter.

"Y-y-you…"

 _Well, we've been dating for a while now. I'm not gonna apologize, at least not to all three of them._ I took a deep breath and threw my shoulders back. "So, I'll call you later, okay?" I made sure to look only at Sawako. She nodded, still wide-eyed. I beat a hasty retreat.

o-o-o-o-o

CHIZURU

"Heeheehee," I crowed. Ayane shot me a triumphant look behind Sawako's back. We continued making our way downstairs and to the lockers.

Once outside, I proposed going for ramen. Ayane kept casting concerned glances at Sawako even as she debated with me whether we should be going out to eat only a few days before a beach trip. Our girl remained silent.

When we'd passed both buildings, Ayane made a suggestion. "Let's stop at the benches a minute and decide what we're doing."

I followed her lead and we herded a dazed Sawako toward our lunchtime spot. Once we were seated I looked worriedly from one to the other.

"Sawako," Yano-chin began in a gentle tone. "You seem upset. Does it bother you that Kazehaya called you by your first name?"

"I'm…I'm not sure. I guess I was surprised and.. and…."

"Well," I jumped in bracingly. "Surprises are good!"

"Says the woman who had a big fight with Ryu over his surprise birthday present," Yano reminded me.

"It was supposed to be a good surprise," I grumped.

"Anyway," she said, returning her gaze to Sawako, "you can both be less formal now that you're dating." She smiled gently. "As long as you can handle it."

I nodded encouragingly. Not that I had a lot of experience in the dating area, but whatever.

Sawako gave a curt nod, resolve in the lines of her face.

"And…" Yano-chin dragged out the next blow. "You should really try to call him by his first name too."

Panic returned to her countenance. "I-I-I don't know if I…"

"He'll probably feel bad now if you don't. But I'm sure it would make him really happy if you did."

Anguish. She wouldn't want to hurt Kazehaya. _Well played, Yano-chin._

"Here, why don't you practice with us?" the devious genius suggested. I nodded encouragingly again. Sawako looked terrified.

"Repeat after me. 'Hello, Ayane, have I told you about my boyfriend, Shota?'"

"H-hello, Ayane-chan, have I told you about my b-boyfriend, Sh-Sh-Sh-Sho…ta?"

"Great! Now say this: 'Shota is my boyfriend.'"

"Sh-shota is my boyfriend."

Yano-chin smiled and continued the call and response. "Shota is a good boyfriend…"

o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

I heard Sawako's voice as I approached the corner of the building. "Shota is a good boyfriend."

I froze. My heart pounded against my ribcage.

"Good, good!" I heard Yano's voice. "Now say: 'Hello, Shota, I'm happy you called.'"

"Hello, Shota, I'm happy you called." There was a cheerful shimmer in Sawako's voice. I leaned back against the wall and watched the clouds. Yano was right. It was good for her to have time with her girlfriends.

Yoshida's voice came next. "Now say: 'Shota, you naughty boy!'"

"Chizuru!" Yano scolded.

They laughed and I quickly headed back the way I'd come. It seemed like a good idea to take the long way around.


	6. Chapter 6

CHIZURU

When Pin had finished taking roll the following morning, he brought up the topic that was on all our minds. "The class field trip is only a few days away, so turn in your permission forms and all that crap. Miura here," he nodded to Kento, who was standing beside his desk, "will tell you everything else you need to know."

Kento covered the details…meet up on Sunday at the ungodly hour of 7:00 a.m., three hour bus ride, how much spending money to bring, yada yada…

"As for the hotel, it will be four to a room, and I have been told that coed rooms are out, so, sorry, guys." He smiled brightly. "I'm going to post this sign-up sheet, so you can put down your roommates once you know who they are. If you can't decide, just write your name on the side here and we'll assign you a room. You can make some new friends, right?" Another bright smile. Something about that guy always rubbed me the wrong way.

 _But anyway, four to a room, huh?_

By lunchtime I hadn't had any great ideas for a fourth roommate. Ayane and I approached Sawako. "Sawako, you're in, right? I asked her.

"In…what?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

Ayane took over. "Do you want to room with us on the trip?"

Predictably, Sawako's eyes grew bright with gratitude. "Yes, thank you! That would make me very happy. I can't believe I get to go on a class field trip with you two. I'm going to have so much fun."

Kazehaya was making his way toward us. I saw his eyes land on her and soften. "Have you decided on roommates yet?" he asked the group.

"We still need a fourth," Ayane answered. "Are you volunteering?" she asked slyly.

His face flooded with red. "We can't…" Ayane and I burst into laughter. Kazehaya crossed his arms and looked peeved.

"So who are you rooming with?" I asked him once we'd settled down.

"Guys don't care that much," he shrugged. He was distracted by Ryu coming up the aisle toward him. "Hey, Ryu," he called. "You gonna be in my room?"

"Sure." He stopped for a moment and eyed the mob surrounding the sign-up sheet. "Can you put my name down?" He started moving toward the door again.

"Alright," his roomie answered.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I asked.

"I have to meet the manager and go over some stuff for next week's games. Oh," he looked over his shoulder at me. "We have practice games on Tuesday and Thursday. I think."

"I'll come and cheer," I said. One corner of his mouth turned up and then he continued toward the exit. I felt that funny squirm in my stomach.

I tuned back in to Ayane's conversation. Tomo and Ekko had joined our group and Yano-chin was addressing Ekko. "You can't come?" She asked incredulously. "Why?"

"My grandmother isn't doing too well, and my parents think I should stay in town. Just in case." She looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Ayane said kindly. Sawako's eyes were starting to glisten with tears.

"Well, everybody has to send me lots of pictures," Ekko said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. We all smiled our agreement.

"And we'll bring back some souvenir treats or something," I added.

"Yeah, Chizu-chan will be sure to sample everything for you." Ayane said. I narrowed my eyes at her, but deep down I could picture it.

"Um," Sawako began hesitantly. "Tomo, do you… Have you signed up yet?" she asked.

 _Oooooh. Good idea, Sawa._

"Not yet. Do you guys have room?" she asked shyly.

"Yes," I said, slapping a hand down on her shoulder. "Definitely. It's okay with you guys, right?" I checked with Yano-chin and Sawako. They agreed wholeheartedly. Tomo was an easygoing person. She'd be a good roommate for us.

"Then it's settled," I said with finality. "I'll write our names down and then I'm going to go buy some bread downstairs. Anyone want anything?" They passed. I shoved my way through to the sign-up sheet. I was starting to look forward to this. Maybe there'd even be some cute guys there.

o-o-o-o-o

Two large charter buses waited in the school parking lot when Ryu and I arrived on Sunday. We'd yawned our way there, not talking much, but it was a comfortable silence borne of years. Students clustered in groups on the sidewalk and around the buses. A whiff of diesel hit my nose.

We found Kazehaya kidding around with several guys and stopped there. "Hey, Ryu, Yoshida!" he greeted us.

"Good morning," we drawled in unison. _Geez, how can he be so perky first thing in the morning?_ I plunked my forehead against Ryu's back and closed my eyes. The guys' inane chatter flowed around me, occasionally punctuated by the low rumble of my headrest.

Ayane's voice broke in. "Well, good morning, Sunshine."

I didn't bother looking up as I said, "If you ever say that again I can't be responsible for what I do to you." Her husky laugh sounded beside me.

Pin's hearty bellow rose above the crowd. "Luggage under the bus. Your mommy isn't here to take care of you this weekend, so hurry it up!"

Reluctantly I lifted my heavy head and made for the side of the nearest vehicle, pulling my wheeled bag behind me. Ryu and Yano-chin joined me. Apparently the others had already dumped their stuff. "Have you seen Sawako?" Ayane asked.

"Over there," Ryu answered, pointing toward the opening between the two buses. Sure enough, our friend was standing there with a clipboard in hand, Kento Miura smiling and talking animatedly to her.

"Doesn't he ever give up?" Ayane muttered.

"I wonder if Kazehaya's seen that?" I smirked.

Ayane and I slid our bags into the luggage opening while Ryu waited. He unslung a duffel bag from his shoulder and added it to the pile. We went to see what Sawako was up to.

"Good morning," Kento greeted us at the same time Sawako did. He turned to her and added, "I guess I don't have to help you with their names, do I?" He smiled winningly.

Ayane gritted her teeth.

"What's up, Sawako? What's Miura roped you into?" I asked.

"Hey now," he acted affronted. "She was one of the first ones here and she volunteered, didn't you?"

She nodded and gave an affirmative, "Mmm. I'm helping take roll." Kento looked at her a little too dotingly.

Ayane must have thought the same. Pointedly she said to Sawako, "Kazehaya's here. Have you seen him yet?"

She gave another affirmative, blushing slightly.

"He gonna save you a seat?" I teased, elbowing her repeatedly.

"Of course he is," Ayane answered. "He is a good boyfriend, after all, isn't he, Sawako?"

Sawako's eyes darted around uncomfortably. "That reminds me," I began. "Did you ever try calling…"

"Hey, hey," Ayane interrupted me loudly. "Maybe we should stake out some decent seats ourselves."

"Oh, right." I hadn't noticed Ryu's disappearance but when we sought out Kazehaya we found them together, hanging out with the guys again.

"We're going to find seats," I announced to the group.

"Good idea," Kazehaya agreed, seeming to catch my meaning. The group immediately turned toward the nearest bus, following his and Ayane's lead. I somehow got trapped toward the end of this line, so I noticed when Ryu turned to move away. "Where are you off to? The bus is going to leave soon, you know?"

He paused to answer me. Jerking a thumb toward the other bus he said, "I'm sitting with the baseball manager. We're going through the rosters for next week's games."

"Wow. That new guy sure is a slave driver."

He huffed a half-smile and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

CHIZURU

The bus ride went quickly since everyone was in high spirits. It was too loud to sleep, although Ryu probably could have pulled it off if he hadn't been roped into talking stats with his new manager. _What's with that guy anyway? Ryu's just too nice to say no sometimes._

I'd ended up sitting with Ayane, across the aisle from Kazehaya and Sawako. It was rare to see them looking so much like a couple. _Too cute though!_

Soon we were checked into our room and getting changed. Thanks to our early start, we still had a full beach day ahead of us. Sawako kept returning to the balcony, delighted by our high-rise view of the green sea, which was just across the street. She wore a pale yellow cover-up that danced about her knees in the wind. A sadistic part of me couldn't wait to see Kazehaya's face when she stripped down to a bikini.

He'd arranged to meet her in the lobby, so when the four of us (Tomo had joined us in the room) stepped off the elevator, he was there, attended by Ryu, Joe, and a couple other guys. My beach bag was loaded down, and Ryu eyed it dubiously. My happiness was undiminished, however. "I brought a volleyball, water ball, Frisbee, and umm, what else…."

The crowd began moving and soon we were spreading our towels over the warm sand. The air was heavy with a salty sea smell, but not too warm thanks to the steady breeze off the water. The guys broke immediately for the ocean, diving headfirst into the gentle waves. I kicked off my sandals and tossed aside my shorts and tank top. Grabbing the water ball, I tore after them.

When I'd waded to shoulder level like the rest, I sought out Ryu's form in the cluster of male heads. He was easy to find with that buzz cut. In a perfect toss, I hit him with the squishy ball right in the back of his head. He reached a hand back to feel the spot and rotated my direction in the water. Hearing my raucous laughter, he searched around and found the projectile floating nearby. He picked it up and slung it back, his baseball training allowing him to land it hard directly in front of me, splashing water right in my face. I growled and heaved it back at him.

He just held it. The other guys caroused nearby, but I'd forgotten them. "C'mon!" I yelled at him, raising my arms.

He shook his head. "You're gonna hurt someone."

"Oh, give me break, you idiot. Just throw it!"

He remained stubbornly in place. My wrath propelled me as I struck out freestyle toward him. He backed away, but not quickly enough to escape. In a moment I was all over him.

"Give me that!" I cried, jumping and pushing off one of his bare shoulders to grab for the ball he now held aloft in the other hand. He was taller than me, by just a few inches, and slippery with suntan lotion, so I missed. I continued madly scrabbling for it and he laughed as he kept it just out of my reach. Soon I was less angry than determined to win the contest.

Out of breath after a while, I decided to rest and rethink my strategy. I ceased struggling and dangled from him, one arm slung behind his neck. I was still panting. "C'mon…I'll be good…" I panted against his jawline.

"Right," he answered sarcastically. I could just see one side of his carefree smile as my face bounced next to his in the gentle surf.

A jolt of awareness struck me like a shock, its heat rushing powerfully from my head to my toes. All of a sudden I noticed how close I was to his mouth. I felt every point of contact where my arm and hand draped over his solid, slippery shoulders. His neck glistened with water droplets and the waves danced against the hollow of his throat, smooth and tanned from baseball practices. I felt the folds of his swim trunks wrapping around my legs with the undulations of the current. Next I realized that one whole side of me, including the contents of my push-up bikini, was pressed tight against his bare chest.

In a panic, I pushed away. I caught a glimpse of Ryu's surprised expression, just before I sank beneath the surface. In our struggles, he'd wandered into water too deep for me but not for him. I touched bottom in a moment and bounced back up, but Ryu was already reaching for me. He grasped me with both hands under my arms, holding my head above the waves as I coughed seawater. He wore a serious look, probably due to the alarm on my face. I hoped he would attribute it to my dunking and not the real cause. "I'm alright," I said quickly, the fight gone from me in the wake of this unexpected emotion. "It was just deeper than I thought."

While supporting me, he'd been taking steps toward shore. He released me now that it was shallow enough to stand. I felt kind of shaky. "I th-think I'll go in. It's getting cold," I said, hastily looking away.

He was silent as usual, but I could swear I felt his dark eyes watching me slowly emerge from the water. It was the first time I'd ever felt self-conscious about my long legs.

o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

The water was cool, exhilarating, and the guys roughhoused like little kids, dunking each other and wrestling and splashing. I could have stayed there all day, but part of me was drawn back to Sawako like a magnet. I was trying hard not to imagine her in a swimsuit, but curiosity soon won out.

"I'm going in," I announced to the group as I began walking toward shore. There was a general harassment to remain and I had to dodge one human missile, but soon I was on dry land again. As I walked, my eyes remained glued to the place where Sawako sat with her friends. Her hair was arranged in those adorable braids, and I could tell from here that she was wearing a bikini.

I pulled a hand across my eyes and swallowed. _Must play it cool, must play it cool._

As I walked, I kept my eyes mostly on the sand, but snuck a couple quick glances at my destination. The little strings tying up the suit around her neck and at her hips were perfect on her slender frame. The suit was modest enough as bikinis go, but the deep pink color definitely drew the eye to admire her curves. She looked so soft. And delicate, almost breakable.

I sat heavily on my towel, swiping dripping bangs off my face and studiously avoiding looking her direction. Thankfully Yoshida and Yano were in the middle of a conversation and let us be. I leaned back on my arms and let the sun dry me as I gazed at the sea.

I tried to sneak a peek at my girlfriend, but of course she picked that moment to do the same. We both sort of jumped, and I heard Yoshida and Yano burst into laughter. I wanted to bury my head in the sand, but I could tell Sawako was freaking out. The need to rescue her worked like a tonic on my own nerves.

"This is nice, isn't it?" I asked, turning to smile directly at her face.

She was still frozen like a terrified rabbit, but she seemed to draw courage from my casual demeanor. As I watched, her features softened and she smiled ever so slightly. "Mmm-hmm."

"Kazehaya," Yano called in a silky tone that boded ill. "We helped Sawako pick out her swimsuit. How do you like it?"

 _So annoying._ I could feel the blush staining my cheeks.

"Want to go for a walk?" I asked Sawako quickly.

"Sure," she said, reaching for her yellow dress-thingy. I pulled on my t-shirt and we stood.

"Don't be gone too long or we'll come looking for you," Yoshida taunted.

"Let's go," I said to Sawako, more curtly than I should have.

Side by side we walked down to the water's edge. We turned and followed the shoreline, the waves washing over our bare feet. The cry of sea gulls sounded on the air. Predictably, I began obsessing about taking her hand.

"My family spends a week at the beach every summer," Sawako said. "When I was little, I loved to make sand castles. I would spend hours making entire villages, with houses and streets, and rivers made from buckets of water."

I chuckled. "I can see that. What else did you like to do?"

She related several anecdotes and I lost myself in the sound of her gentle, breathy voice. When we'd walked in silence for a minute or so, I gathered my nerve and said, "You look nice, by the way. I didn't like Yoshida and Yano trying to embarrass us, but I think you look nice." I began to babble. "I mean, you always look pretty, not just when you're…" _wearing a cute little bikini_. "…at the beach."

"P-pretty?" She seemed surprised.

"Y-yeah." She didn't know? "I think you're really pretty." I felt my face heat. "I mean, that's not why I like you, or, um, it's not the only reason. I mean, I just…"

She mercifully cut me off. "Thank you." I finally met her gaze. Her eyes were shining, and I felt like a hero. My nervousness melted and I smiled back.

From the other direction, Endou and several girls from our class met us. "See those rocks?" She pointed behind her. Sure enough, a large outcropping loomed ahead. "There are a bunch of caves inside, and one goes all the way through to the other side."

"It's totally cool," one her friends enthused.

"Want to check it out?" I asked Sawako.

"Sure," she nodded.

o-o-o-o-o

CHIZURU

With most of our group either in the ocean or off walking, Yano-chin and I were approached several times by guys who tried their hands flirting and asking for our numbers. Some of them were kind of good-looking, but I wasn't sure how I felt about guys hitting on me out of the blue. Fortunately, Ayane was used to it and expertly deflected them with excuses about not being from around here.

We were talking to yet another pair of guys who looked to be several years older than us, when Ryu came stomping up. He plunked down on the towel next to mine and proceeded to lean over my legs, clearly invading my personal space as he rummaged in a cooler bag he'd left in the middle of our stuff. He shot menacing looks at our admirers and they made excuses to leave. I breathed a sigh of relief. Ryu sat up again and began unwrapping a sandwich.

"You're eating already?" I asked.

Ayane piped in. "Like you can talk. You've already finished two bags of chips. You're going to get fat."

Ryu continued munching, his legs drawn up in a criss cross. I couldn't help smiling; sometimes he still looked like the kid I used to play with.

I had just opened my mouth to comment when Ayane continued. "I'm going to go rent an umbrella. I think I'm getting burned already." She found her wallet and stood, heading off to the vendor cart not far behind us.

Ryu finished eating and leaned over me again to stash his sandwich wrapper and retrieve his baseball cap. I kind of flashed back to the episode in the ocean for a second, and my heart seemed to beat more loudly than usual at his proximity.

He leaned up again and put on the hat, pulling the bill down low over his eyes. He was adjusting his towel—probably prepping for a nap—when a tinkling voice called out from his other side. "Ryu-senpai?"

He looked up to find the source and she continued. "I thought that was you!"

 _What the? It can't be her!_ But it was. The pixie girl—clad only in a bikini, of course. She knelt down in the sand facing him.

"What's she doing here?" I burst out without thinking.

Ryu looked at me, completely composed. "Oh, you know each other?"

"N-no," I sputtered, realizing my error. Quickly I covered. "But I've seen you around school, haven't I? Yeah, but you're not in our class. Are you here with your family?" It sounded like a stretch, even to me.

She giggled. "No, I'm in Miss Fujiyama's class." The teacher Pin leeched onto. _Oh._

"Oh," I deflated. "Well, how do you two know each other?" I asked Ryu curiously.

"She's our baseball manager."


	8. Chapter 8

CHIZURU

Complete and total shock. " _She_ 's your baseball manager?!" Disbelief suffused every word.

She giggled again. "Yes. I've played softball my whole life, but I injured my knee last season… Actually I probably shouldn't be sitting like this…Do you mind?" she asked Ryu, looking meaningfully at his towel.

"No, go ahead," he invited, crossing his legs again to make room. She settled next to him. Something vicious and primal churned in my gut.

"So as I was saying, I got injured last season and have to sit out this year, but I thought, 'Why not help out the baseball club?'"

"She's the one you were going over stats with on the way here?" I still couldn't wrap my head around it.

"I'm sorry," she said with contrition. "Is this your girlfriend?"

"No," Ryu answered without his usual pause at this question. "Chizuru's like my…"

I interrupted before he could class us as brothers. "We've been friends since we were kids."

"Oh," she looked relieved. _Grrrrr._

"My name's Hiromi by the way. It's nice to meet you." _Ugh. Stop being so bubbly already._

"Yoshida Chizuru," I said begrudgingly.

"Hey, Ryu!" Ayane's call drifted from a few yards away. "Help me set up this umbrella." He obligingly rose and went to take it from her hands, carrying it back to our spot.

"Where do you want it?" he asked.

Ayane pointed out a spot between her blanket and Sawako's, and Ryu set about twisting the base round and round, corkscrewing it down into the sand.

I looked back at the pixie…er, Hiromi, and found her gaze fixed on Ryu. I checked, and he wasn't doing anything novel, just continuing to anchor the base securely. But he was turned away from us, and we had a fine view of back and arm muscles flexing with his efforts. _Hmmm, I can see the appeal. Wait, what am I thinking?_

 _Wait again- this tart is drooling over Ryu?_ Anger simmered.

"So you're a first-year, right?" I asked her loudly, succeeding in deflecting her attention. "I remember back when I was a first-year. Seems like a long time ago, heh-heh. That's when I met Yano-chin," I said, jerking my head in her general direction. "Oh, Ayane. You haven't met Hiromi, have you?"

"Hi," Ayane said slowly, looking suspiciously from the girl on Ryu's towel to my undoubtedly odd expression.

"She's Ryu's baseball manager," I informed her, attempting to sound nonchalant. The man of the hour took a seat on his half of the towel again.

"Oh," Ayane said lightly. Then, "Ohhhh." She looked from Ryu to the girl and smiled.

 _What? No, Ayane, you're not supposed to be nice to this tart!_

Yano-chin conversed with Hiromi across me, making her feel welcome. When I heard the girl say 'Ryu-senpai yada yada' for the third time I interrupted. "I'm bored. Let's play Frisbee or something."

"Okay," Ryu agreed and stood. He was probably bored of the female chatter. I found the disc in my beach bag and joined the others as they walked toward the shoreline where the beach was less crowded.

"Won't this bother your knee?" I asked Hiromi hopefully.

"I should be fine as long as I'm careful," she answered. Was it my imagination or did she sound a little testy? "It's not like Frisbee is as strenuous as baseball," she added.

Ayane laughed. "You haven't seen Chizu-chan in action."

It started amicably enough. We formed a rough sort of square, taking positions at an easy distance from one another. We passed the Frisbee around a couple of times, but it was boring just going in a circle. On my next turn I shot one across to Ryu, right at his chest where it would be hard to catch. _A-ha!_ He bobbled it but hung on, then sent it in a nice line toward Ayane. She politely threw it back to Hiromi, whom I'd inadvertently skipped. It was going to fall short, but Hiromi dashed forward and caught it in an athletic display I had to admire, grudgingly. She then looked in my direction and heaved it. It was way too high, but I wouldn't back down from the obvious challenge. I raced up the beach and leaped, snatching it out of the air. "Yesss!"

Faster than thought I whipped it back at Hiromi, sending it on course to fly just over her reach. _Hah! Take that!_ But she backpedaled and jumped, successfully catching it. She whooped.

She flung it hard again, sending it between me and Yano-chin. I tore after it, beating Ayane easily and grabbing it. I sent it back low and hard. Technically I aimed it between her and Ryu, but I knew she wouldn't let it go now.

"What are you doing?" Ayane asked, her irritation evident.

As we watched, Hiromi sprinted to meet the projectile, leaning over to snag it just as it brushed the sand. She stumbled as she did so and the momentum carried her toward Ryu. They collided and she grabbed him around the middle. He held her until she found her balance again. I couldn't hear what she said, but the grateful smile on her uplifted face said enough.

"Ooohhh," Ayane purred. "She's good."

I growled. "Isn't it time for lunch? I'm ready to get some food."

o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

The stony outcropping looked to be several times my height. As we approached it, we saw several laughing students emerge from a spot about twenty feet from the water. Arriving there we could see a corridor rounded out that was just higher than my head. We stopped to peer inside. The bright sunlight illuminated a sandy path that disappeared around a sharp bend not too far in.

"What do you think?" I asked Sawako.

"Let's go," she said. I smiled at her spunk.

We walked side by side until the path turned and the corridor narrowed. I took the lead as we continued single file into increasing dimness. From somewhere ahead came the echo of students' voices and the occasional ghostly howl, followed by shrieks and laughter.

I stopped for a moment, realizing how dark it was getting. I turned back toward Sawako. Her pale skin and yellow dress thingy were still faintly visible. "Are you alright?"

I could barely see, but she seemed to nod. "Let's be sure to stick together," I said, and before I could think twice about it I took her hand. In the close quarters I easily heard her intake of breath, but I simply turned around and started moving again.

As the darkness grew thicker, I held a hand out in front of me to keep from running headfirst into a wall. But my attention was focused entirely on the one behind me that tethered me to Sawako.

Her hand felt small and cool. I was aware of how mine wrapped around hers, and how my thumb rested on her fingers. I felt the ebb and flow of pressure as I moved forward, pulling her with me. The sensation of connection was so right. I nearly sighed in contentment.

We continued onward for the space of a few heartbeats. I could see light growing ahead and we turned another corner into a small cavern. A feeble glow was visible from the mouth of a tunnel on one side near the ceiling. It illuminated the cavern just enough to make out walls and shapes and darker splotches that marked other tunnels branching off.

Sawako stopped when I did, our link making us immediately responsive to one another. "Cool," I said, looking around.

We heard several voices that seemed to be coming from one of the tunnels. A familiar-sounding male voice accompanied the first person to appear in the cavern. "I think we're lost. And it's really creepy in h- AAAAAAAGH!" A high-pitched scream pierced the dimness and echoed around the room. "A ghost! AAAAGH!"

"Joe?" I tried.

"AAAAAGH! It knows my name! AAAAGH!"

"Joe! Chill out, it's me, Kazehaya, and Sawako."

A few beats of silence passed while he remained frozen. A couple other figures came up behind him but they were impossible to recognize in the dark. "Kazehaya? And Sadako?" He took a few tentative steps in our direction. "Oh, I see, Sadako's doing her ghost impression again." He attempted a laugh, but it sounded a little shaky.

We spoke at the same time. "She's not…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to scare anyone."

I could kind of understand how he was fooled as I noticed for the first time how her pale skin and dress showed up in the dark. Still… "You're just letting your imagination get carried away, Joe."

"Yeah." He allowed a self-deprecating laugh. "It's really creepy in here."

"Have you guys been here long?" I asked the group. I couldn't quite make out the others behind Joe.

"We've already been to the other side. We're trying to find our way back," one of them answered.

"We just came from there," I told them. "It's the tunnel behind us."

"Hey, thanks!" They began making their way around us, seeming to give us a wide berth. I sighed.

I tugged on Sawako's hand, leading her toward the place they'd vacated and continuing on into the tunnel. "I wonder if people would enjoy having me stay and try to scare them?" Sawako wondered out of the blue.

Laughter burst from my lips. "Not today. Today I'm keeping you all to myself."

We could see a faint outline of light ahead and followed it until we came out on the beach. As promised, we were on the other side of the rocks. We decided to turn back and explore a few alcoves we'd seen branching off from the main passage. Soon the corridor landed us back where we'd started.

We stepped into the light, halting a moment to let our eyes adjust to the brightness. I spotted Andy and the others a little ways off kicking a ball around and headed their direction. A couple steps later Sawako dropped my hand.

I was surprised. I'd been enjoying our close connection and didn't want to give it up. She hadn't seemed to mind in the caves, and even when we came out on the beach on the other side. Why now?

I looked at the guys again. Probably she felt self-conscious because we knew them.

I stopped walking and captured her attention, pouting a bit. "I don't mind if everyone knows we're together. I'm proud that you're my girlfriend. Is it…Are you embarrassed by me?"

Her eyes grew wide and tears began to gather in them as she held my gaze. _Aw, now I feel like crap._

"I could never be embarrassed of you," she breathed. "You're the most wonderful person I know. You're so popular and yet you're nice to everyone. You're so kind to me and I'm so happy. The past few weeks have been the best in my whole life. I'm- I'm not very good at this…" A couple tears trickled down her cheeks. "But I'll try my hardest to do better. I want to make you as happy as you make me…

…Shhh-ota."

The speech was enough, but when she called me by name everything inside me crumbled in a pathetic heap at her feet, and it took all my strength to keep from doing the same outwardly. Instead I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"You do," I whispered against her ear. "You make me very happy, Sawako."

Time stopped as I held her close. The sun beat down on us and the cry of gulls carried on the breeze.

A booming voice rang out nearby. "What's all this? Get your pervy hands off that girl," Pin bellowed. He continued in an afterthought. "Whoever thought it was a good idea to bring a bunch of hormonal teenagers to the beach?"

We'd stepped apart at his outburst. "Shota?" he exclaimed. "I should have known." He gave Sawako an appraising look and shook his head as if to clear it. "You two…get out of here. Get, get!" He shooed us away and we turned to go. A suggestive tone colored his voice behind us. "Hidden desires…"

"Are we in trouble?" Sawako asked me as we started walking.

"No, Pin's just being…" I lost my breath a moment when I felt a dainty hand slip into mine. "…Just being Pin," I finished lamely.

Our clasped hands swayed slightly as we strolled side by side along the water's edge. I chanced a look and found her smiling contentedly. Everything was good.


	9. Chapter 9

KAZEHAYA

We stopped a number of times to talk with classmates we met along the way. Thanks to Yano's prodding and Takahashi's embarrassing chalkboard diagram, everyone already knew of our relationship, but there were still curious glances at our clasped hands. I ignored it, though, and in each case we were able to get back to normal quickly. Sawako even made a comment or two, which told me that she was feeling more relaxed.

When we reached our towels and found no sign of the others, I suggested we get something to eat. The café down the block held several more of our classmates, as well as some who looked to be in the other class. We pushed tables together and caught up while we ate.

When we crossed back to the beach, Sawako asked, "Doesn't that look like Ayane-chan and Chizu-chan?"

I followed her gaze and spotted the two engaged in a beach volleyball match. Several girls I didn't know were clustered at the sidelines. Across the net were Ryu and another girl I didn't recognize. "You're right," I said. Taking her hand again, I led the way.

o-o-o-o-o

CHIZURU

"Oh," Ayane chirped happily. "Look who's coming…the happy couple."

Ryu was busy collecting the ball, so I allowed myself a moment to glance at where she was looking. Sure enough, Kazehaya and Sawako were approaching, and holding hands no less. Despite my sour mood, this brought a smile to my face.

Ryu's deep voice brought me back to the match at hand. "Nine - all."

I adjusted my stance, my competitiveness snapping into place as the game resumed. He wasn't a great server and the ball dropped easily into Ayane's reach. She was an excellent volleyball player, and although she wasn't in the club anymore she still rocked at the sports festivals. She bumped the ball perfectly to set me up for the smash, another easy feat given that Shorty was at the net. Ayane and I high-fived.

They returned the ball to us, and Yano-chin aced her first serve. On her next, the tart managed to catch enough of the ball to send it back to us. My teammate executed another perfect bump, but this time I was matched against Ryu. His extra inches gave him the block, and he tipped the ball past me.

"Careful, Ryu-senpai," Hiromi called. "We need those hands next week."

"Oh, brother," I mumbled. Looking up I found Ryu posting up opposite me, a half-smile on his face. Was he smirking at my comment, or did he like all the attention this chick was giving him?

I didn't like the way she looked after him. I didn't like seeing them on a team together. I didn't like watching them high-five. I didn't like the way her eyes traveled over him while he stood at the net with his back to her.

And I just about strangled her earlier when she offered to rub suntan lotion on his back. _Yeah, she's gonna eat sand for that one._ Her serve went too high and wouldn't make it to Ayane. I backpedaled, already picturing the fisted smash I would send her way. My left foot found an uneven spot in the soft sand and my ankle rolled. A stabbing pain shot through me. I dropped like a rock, skidding on my rear.

"Chizu, are you okay?" Ayane yelled, running over. I held my ankle in both hands. It thrummed painfully.

Someone knelt next to me. It was Ryu.

"That looked bad," Kazehaya commented from above me. _Thanks. That's really helpful._ I was still breathing heavily from the buzzing, stinging feeling in my joint.

"I'm alright," I panted. "Just give me a minute." I'd had my share of bruises and scrapes, even a concussion one time, but I'd never actually broken any bones. I wasn't sure how it would feel. _Can you even break an ankle bone? Aren't they, like, really small?_

I felt self-conscious with everyone crowding around and staring at me. I started to rise, figuring the pain would let up once I got moving. But the instant I put weight on the ankle, I collapsed in agony again. Ryu's hand was at my back instantly, steadying me.

"Chizu-chan," Sawako cried in distress. I felt answering tears prick the corner of my eyes. I wasn't used to my body betraying me. I felt so helpless, lost.

"You should probably get some ice on that," Kazehaya suggested.

"Yeah. It looks like it's going to swell." Ryu agreed. I looked back at our stuff. It seemed impossibly far away. I bent my knees for another attempt and Ryu's arm slipped underneath them. He scooped me up like a damsel in distress. _Oh my gosh, this is too embarrassing._

"Put me down. I can walk."

"No, you can't," he answered reasonably. I gave up squirming and allowed him to carry me back toward Ayane's umbrella where Tomo and several of the guys were sunbathing.

I let Kazehaya answer their rapid fire questions upon seeing our sorry brigade while Ryu set me down on my towel. "Thanks," I mumbled. I could feel his concerned gaze still on me.

I'd already donned my tank top for the volleyball game, so now I just had to wiggle into my shorts. Sawako picked up my toys from where they'd been scattered about and carefully placed them in my beach bag. I noticed the others collecting their things. "Hey, you guys. Don't go back on my account. I'll feel even worse if you do."

"I'll take her," Ryu offered.

"That's alright, we'll take her. Won't we, Sawako?" Ayane said.

"I was thinking of going back anyway," Kazehaya said diplomatically. "It's getting too hot."

"Then I guess we'll see you guys later," said Hiromi, a tinge of regret in her voice. I'd forgotten about her. "I'm really sorry, Yoshida." _Sure you are…Sorry I cut short your time with Ryu maybe._

"Don't worry about it. It was just a dumb thing, really," I said. Ayane offered me a hand. With assistance from her and Tomo I was able to stand, placing all my weight on one foot and balancing myself with an arm around her shoulder. Sawako continued cleaning up while Ayane helped me limp my way slowly, too slowly, from the beach to the curb.

I couldn't move this slowly across the street. I'd have to hop. Talk about embarrassing.

"Do you want your shoes, Chizu-chan?" Sawako asked helpfully. I mentally weighed the merits of having protection from the asphalt and the difficulty of wiggling into sandals in my current condition.

Ryu cut short my deliberation. "This is stupid," he said, and scooped me up again.

"Ryu!" I protested, but he was already stepping off the curb.

From my cradled position I had a view of his profile, features so familiar to me and yet -in this moment of vulnerability—unexpectedly precious. Dark eyes scanned the street, alert for traffic. His full lips were compressed, either from the effort of carrying me or possibly from concern. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were stained pink by the sun.

I was still feeling kind of scared, but his strength and protectiveness enfolded me like a comforting blanket. A wave of affection swept through me, and for the first time in my life I felt an impulse to kiss…Ryu.


	10. Chapter 10

CHIZURU

"Hey," Kazehaya called, jogging up next to us. "There's an indoor pool on the first floor of the hotel. Do you want to sit there while we get some ice? The cool water might help."

"Alright," I said, trying to jerk my wayward thoughts back to reality. I realized my hands and legs were pretty sandy from the volleyball game and then the fall. A dip in the pool would be a good idea before I sat on any hotel furniture.

As we entered the glassed-in enclosure, the air grew even more humid and the scent of chlorine accosted us. A few kids from the other class were lolling about on the steps of the shallow end, and their voices echoed off the hard surfaces of the room. I felt Ryu dipping and grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt as he knelt and deposited me by the pool's edge. Releasing him, I swung my legs over the side and into the cool water. It did make my ankle feel a little better.

Ayane left to look for a responsible adult and Kazehaya went to find some ice. Sawako and Ryu sat on either side of me, our legs dangling in the clear water. I was bummed about the injury and complained about how it was going to ruin the weekend. But it felt good having them with me. And out of all of us, they definitely are the best listeners.

Before long I found myself en route to a clinic with Miss Fujiyama and Ryu. She asked him to come along to help maneuver me from place to place, but I made sure there was no more damsel-carrying, opting to limp along grabbing his arm instead. By the time we finished, the sun was dipping toward the horizon. The doctors had decided it was just a sprain and sent me back with crutches and some mild painkillers.

Back at the hotel, Ryu helped me get out of the taxi and get set up on the crutches while Miss Fujiyama paid the driver. I was a little awkward at first, and Ryu held himself to my snail's pace, ready in case disaster struck. I'd never thought of it before, but he was actually a really patient person. Unlike yours truly.

A few steps inside the hotel Miss Fujiyama excused herself to take care of something untoward she saw going down in the pool enclosure. I headed for the elevators, getting better at the swinging gait with each stride.

"This is kind of fun," I told Ryu.

"You would think so."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I huffed a little. The effort required to move on crutches made it hard to talk normally.

"Nothing." He held the elevator door for me while I hopped and jerked my way inside.

We stopped at my room first but no one answered. "Oh, man. I left the key card in my beach bag. I think Sawako has it."

"Come on. We'll check my room. Maybe everyone's there."

"Oh, yeah. You're rooming with Kazehaya, right?"

We passed too many rooms (the crutches were getting old quickly) before he knocked and opened a door on the opposite side of the hall. He scanned the room briefly while he propped the door for me, but it was as empty as mine had been. I made my way past him in the close entryway and collapsed on one of the beds. Ryu sat on the other.

"Ah, man, I don't have my phone either. Can you message Kazehaya and see where everyone's at?"

He agreed and we soon learned they were having dinner at a place a couple blocks away. "A couple blocks?" I whined. I hate being whiny.

Inspiration struck. "Hey! I know! Let's order room service! I've always wanted to order room service in a hotel. It'll be awesome! We can get one of everything on the menu! Er, do you see a menu?"

He found it on the bureau and we put our heads together like little kids as we decided what to order. Ryu placed the call, listing off our choices while I made enthusiastic interjections ("with soy sauce! Don't forget soy sauce"… "Extra spicy, tell them 'extra spicy!'").

He hung up. "They said thirty minutes."

I bounced on the bed. "This is gonna be so great," I said happily. He directed a fond smile my way.

"Ugh," I said, the bouncing reminding me of the sand in my pants. "I wish I could get back in the room and get cleaned up."

"You want to use our bath?" he asked.

"Nah, I don't have anything to change into."

"Mind if I do?"

"Huh?" I was searching for the TV remote. "Oh, no, go ahead. But help me find the remote first."

He gave it to me and disappeared into the bathroom. I flipped channels until I found a movie worth watching again. Part of me was aware of the sound of running water from behind the bathroom door. When it stopped I heard the splashy noises of someone entering a tub. My face heated. This whole scenario suddenly felt a lot more intimate than all the times he'd taken a bath down the hall at his house.

I did my best to focus on the movie, despite the sounds of someone bathing and then quite obviously exiting the tub. My nerves were strung into a tight little ball, and when he returned wearing a towel I nearly freaked out.

"Ryu! What the heck!" I said, slapping a hand over my eyes.

"Oh. Sorry," he said evenly, apparently not embarrassed in the least. _Stupid jock._ I heard the sound of him rummaging in his duffel bag, but my closed eyes saw only the afterimage of his toned upper body. _What is wrong with me?!_

I heard the bathroom door close again and let my hand drop. When he came back—fully clothed, thank goodness—I was watching the movie again. He ducked in the bathroom one more time and came out with a cup of water.

"You should probably take those pain killers now," he advised.

"Right," I said. He waited while I found the bag where I'd dropped it next to the bed and handed me the water. "Thanks," I said, trying to hide the affectionate gratitude bubbling up in me again.

He wandered back toward the bathroom and I heard the hall door close behind him. _What's he doing?_ He returned a few minutes later with a bag of ice and handed it to me. "Oh. Thanks." _Geez, I sound like a broken record._ I hated being so helpless. But Ryu was taking care of me without any solicitous glances or sappy inquiries. It was the only way I could have stood being waited on so much.

I arranged the ice pack on my ankle, saying, "You're a pretty good nurse, you know?"

A faint smile touched his lips. "Ah, well, I've seen a lot of injuries like yours." _Oh, yeah. Sports…makes sense._

He propped a pillow against the other headboard and settled back to watch the movie. When a knock came sometime later, I nearly bounded for the door. "It's here!" I stopped myself mid-bound, the falling ice pack reminding me to stay put. Ryu smirked and tossed a pillow at me as he rose to answer the door. I watched impatiently as he helped the attendant find room on the bureau for several delicious-smelling trays before ushering him out again.

"I'm starving," I declared. He had to be starving too; after all, he was pretty much always hungry. I scooted to one side of the bed and helped arrange the trays between us. We blessed the food and tore into it with gusto.

I finished eating before he did. Patting my stomach, I sat back and watched him moving at his sedate pace. A smile crept over my lips.

He noticed. "What?"

"Nothing," I said, still feeling content. "You eat pretty slow for someone who's always hungry."

He swallowed another bite. "Nobody can keep up with you."

I continued to watch him, his form, his movements all familiar and comforting somehow. And the look he was giving me now…I could read the emotions in it. He was confused by my attention, wondering why I was acting funny, worrying that it was related to my injury, and…something else.

He stopped eating. "Does your foot hurt a lot?" Just as I'd guessed.

"Some," I answered truthfully. "Listen," I began, my voice ringing with humility. "Thanks for everything today, really."

"It's okay. Anyway, you were right," he said, looking up from the scattered remnants of our dinner. "This was fun." He smiled and I smiled back.

Our eyes held. It was a happy, peaceful oasis in a long messy day. My heart hitched.

"Well, that salmon curry was fantastic. You'll have to get your dad to try and make it…"

By the time our friends returned, the painkillers and the food had me back to myself. Nobody said anything about going out exploring—a kindness to me I tried not to think about—and we spent the evening playing cards and laughing about stupid stuff. I even made it through one of Sawako's ghost stories.

I was half-crippled and sticky with sand and salt, but it was one of the happiest nights of my life.


	11. Chapter 11

CHIZURU

The next morning was overcast. My roommates and I discussed plans over breakfast at the hotel restaurant. A couple of Tomo's friends joined us, and talk generally turned to a touristy shopping area nearby.

Ayane shot me a doubtful look. I noticed Sawako looking concerned too. "That sounds great. I'm doing a lot better today," I said cheerfully. It was a lie, but I wouldn't spoil their whole trip. Ayane suspected, I could tell, but she let it go for now.

Kazehaya called to see what was happening. His room hadn't been down to eat yet, so they were going to talk plans over breakfast while we girls returned to our room to freshen up and collect a few items we wanted for the day. Eventually we'd gathered a dozen or so classmates to meet up at the bus stop outside. Somehow Miura ended up in the group. _Sigh._

The bus pulled up with a hiss of brakes and our noisy crew clambered aboard. When my turn came, I considered the best way to negotiate the tall steps. I reached for one of the hand rails but had to do something with my crutch. I tried transferring it to my other hand but it was going to be tricky dragging both them and myself up simultaneously. _Whew! I had no idea what a pain this would be!_

In the midst of my juggling act, I felt someone reaching around me and saw a male hand grasp both crutches at once. I looked over my shoulder as I heard's Ryu's voice, "Here, I'll take those." Relieved, I thanked him and grabbed onto the hand rails, using them and then the seat backs for leverage. He followed close behind me, and when I sat he waited expectantly until I scooted over to make room for him. He secured the crutches between us.

I watched the ocean as it appeared between buildings as we moved. The chatter of our classmates washed over me, particularly Kento and Ayane, who somehow ended up sitting together directly behind us.

"You're kidding!" Ayane remarked.

"No way, I'm totally serious," he answered just as animatedly. "If he hadn't had such a deep voice, I never would have known he wasn't really a woman."

Ayane laughed cheerfully. "So what did you say?"

"I said, 'I'm flattered, but I think you're a little too old for me…'"

Kazehaya's voice cut through from across the aisle. "Hey, Ryu. When do the prelims start?"

"We have a couple practice games next week and prelims are the week after that."

"How's it look?"

"We'll have a better idea after the practice games, but a lot of our starters are back and we have a couple really good hitters. I think we might get to Koshien this year." His voice was steady as always, but I knew him well enough to recognize the subtle signs of animation in his tone and his expression. Not much got Ryu worked up. He must be really excited about their prospects.

"Hiromi's researching our most likely competition."

 _Hiromi. Hmph._

"She's the one I met at lunch the other day?" He sought confirmation.

"Yeah." _What? When did that happen?_

"So," I interrupted. "When's our stop again?"

o-o-o-o-o

The shops were arranged around a lake criss-crossed by a couple bridges. There were plenty of eateries, so I was happy for the most part. We had to convince Sawako to stay out of the creepy-looking occult store (really, we need to find a new hobby for her), and Miura attracted more attention from passersby than was pleasant, but he and Kazehaya did add a certain liveliness to the outing. I split my time pretty evenly between shops the guys visited (fireworks, team logo apparel) and shops the girls visited (beach apparel and, beach apparel).

After a couple hours my armpits were killing me from those crutches. I'd been coveting every bench we passed and finally tried to excuse myself.

"I'm going to sit for a minute," I told Sawako. "You guys go ahead. Do you have your phone on?" I checked.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"I'll join you," Ayane chimed in. "I'm not really interested in watching Andy get thrown around on that contraption." The group was headed toward a novelty ride that he was particularly excited to try out.

"Oh, um," Sawako looked back and forth from me to the group.

"Go check it out for us, Sawako," I said forcing mirth into my voice. "We need you to take video so we can see who loses their lunch."

"Yeah," Ayane added for good measure. "Ekko will want to see it too."

Our friend nodded resolutely and hurried to catch up to the others. Kazehaya was already looking over his shoulder for her.

Ayane chuckled. "He's got it bad."

I laughed with her. "For sure!"

We found a vacant bench overlooking the lake and took a seat. Setting my crutches aside, I rubbed under one arm then the other. Yano-chin slipped off her heeled shoes and pointed her toes.

"So…" She adjusted one of her earrings. "What was up with you yesterday?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, although I had a pretty good idea.

"I mean how you kept trying to kill that baseball manager."

"I wasn't trying to kill her."

She raised her eyebrows. "Seemed that way to me. What gives?"

I stalled, taking my time retrieving a water bottle from the handy backpack I'd purchased earlier. "I don't know," I said peevishly. "Something about her just bugs me."

"She seemed alright. Shouldn't you like her, since she's so athletic and all?"

"Hmph. I just don't like the way she acts around Ryu," I admitted. "She's all flirty. It's annoying." I took a few swallows.

"Hmmm." I could feel Ayane's penetrating gaze considering me. I offered the bottle to her but she shook her head.

"I've never seen Ryu show interest in any particular girl before. I wonder what that would look like?" she chuckled at the thought.

My mind supplied an image from yesterday—Hiromi hugging Ryu's waist, his arms encircling her after the collision—then embellished it. I could picture them together, a cute couple with their matching dark hair and her petite build next to his tall frame. Would he be there to comfort her when she hurt, like he did for me? Would he remember her birthday with a piece of jewelry he picked out himself?

A pang of loss stabbed me.

Ayane chattered on unawares. "I think it would be nice for Ryu to have someone. After all, he had to watch you crushing on his brother all those years, and now Kazehaya has Sawako…. Don't you think he should have his chance?" She didn't wait for me to answer. "Of course, he'd have to actually take the trouble to ask her out," she added thoughtfully. "But then again she seems the type that might ask him…"

I interrupted. "He said he liked me." That shut her up. "A couple weeks ago. Back when Sawako started dating Kazehaya."

"You're kidding," she exclaimed.

"He just blurted it out. In front of them, actually." I started to get worked up again. "It was such typical Ryu…he just said it and then went on like nothing happened." My last wild hand gesture splashed water on my shorts.

"Well, what did you say?" Ayane was all ears.

"Not much." I thought about it while I dabbed at the wet spot. "It just came out of nowhere and I couldn't really tell how he meant it. I mean, it seemed like, you know, _that_. But then he didn't seem to expect an answer or anything."

"And he acts just the same as ever?" she confirmed.

"Yes, but…" I decided to come clean. "But ever since then I've been feeling kind of…weird…around him sometimes."

"Weird how?" she asked guardedly.

I looked down at my swollen ankle. I scuffed the cement with my other shoe. "I'm not sure. Most of the time everything's the same as it's always been. But sometimes I just suddenly realize…he's a guy, you know?" My face heated.

"Huh."

She let the silence grow, and I continued. "I'm so used to him being there for me whenever. I guess I've taken it for granted."

Ayane pitched in. "And you don't want Hiromi to take him away."

I looked out across the lake. "I guess not. But that's really selfish, huh?"

"So you think maybe you like him too?"

I looked at her sharply. "Like Ryu?"

She gave an exasperated half-laugh. "Yeah. Isn't that what you're telling me?"

"I don't know," I stated with groan. "We've been friends forever. He's more like my brother than my real brother."

"When are you going to introduce me to him, anyway?" she asked.

"Yano!"

"Sorry, sorry," she said hastily. "Well, it could work. You already like him as a friend, right?"

"I guess? I've never really thought about it; it just is."

Ayane huffed. "Fine. But if you didn't like him at all, you wouldn't hang out with him, right?"

"Yes. That's true!" I said, splashing a bit more with my enthusiasm. At least one thing was clearer now.

"So you at least like him as a friend. And now you might like him as…more than a friend, right?"

I grunted. "I don't know! How can I tell?! Ayane, you have to help me!"

"Alright, alright! Chill." She waited for me to compose myself. I took a swig of water. "Have you ever checked out his butt?"

I spewed. "What?!"

She repeated herself. "Have you ever…"

"No! No! Geez, Ayane!" I looked around wildly, making sure we didn't know anyone nearby.

She laughed easily.

"Oh, this is very funny," I said sarcastically. In my irritation, I turned the tables on her. "Why? Have you?"

"Never mind that…"

"You have?!"

"My point is, if you _have_ checked out his butt, then you definitely don't think of him as a brother."

"Why did I think I should ask _you_ for advice?" I said, wiping droplets from, well, everywhere.

She relaxed and grew serious again. "Listen, Chizu. I think you already know the answer. You just don't want to admit it."

A little flutter of fear struck me. _What if I lose him completely? What if my heart gets broken again?_

"Give it some time. I think you'll figure it out."

I sighed. "This is so confusing."

"I'm here for you, you know?"

"Thanks, Yano-chin."

"But I hope you figure it out faster than Sawako," she said cheekily.

I moaned and grabbed my hair again. "Me too."


	12. Chapter 12

CHIZURU

We met up with the others at an arcade, which suited me just fine. I thought it would be funny watching Sawako try her hand at some video games, but actually it was just kind of pitiful. She couldn't bear to shoot anything and her auto racing looked like a grandma out sightseeing. We decided to return to the hotel soon afterwards. The day had grown warm, despite the overcast skies, and when someone mentioned the pool suddenly we were all eager to take a swim.

Ryu helped me on and off the bus again. After my talk with Ayane earlier, I was hyper aware of every simple kindness he showed to me.

There was already a small crowd at the pool when our party arrived. Some of the guys concocted a competition that involved knocking each other off a couple of rafts. It killed me not to take part, but their antics kept the rest of us entertained. Kento managed to surround himself with girls in the corner hot tub, which didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was Yano-chin's willingness to join the group. She seemed—not taken in by him, she was too worldly for that—weirdly fascinated, I guess, like she was interacting with a precocious child.

In any case, the cool water seemed to help with the swelling of my ankle, and I made it to and from dinner on my crutches with little difficulty. Dusk was settling as we stepped into the lobby once again, and Kento reminded us for the third time that a bonfire on the beach was planned for the evening. We promised to be there and each went our separate ways.

Night had fallen by the time Sawako, Tomo, Ayane and I made our way across the street to the beach. Kazehaya had messaged Sawako earlier that the guys were ready and going on ahead, so as we cleared the sidewalk we scanned the beach for them. A large wood structure stacked log-cabin style loomed out of the darkness about twenty yards down the beach. A faint orange glow emanated from it but only from the bottom tier. We made our way there in the muted silvery glow of the moon as it shone behind the clouds.

Students formed a rough circle around the nascent bonfire, clustering in small groups. We came upon Kazehaya's room busy burying someone from neck to toes in the sand.

"Oh, that itches!" Joe's delighted voice cried out. "Oof! Watch where you're…hey!"

I made out Ryu's form kneeling by Joe's abdomen, scraping a final mound or two of sand over top of the victim. I burst out laughing. "What are you guys trying to plant here, anyway?"

"Yoshida, is that you?" Joe called. "Is Yano here too? Yano, save me!"

She groaned quietly next to me. Leaning close she said, "Would it be really immature if I _accidentally_ kicked sand in his face right now?"

Kazehaya appeared in front of Sawako. "Hey, it is you guys," he greeted happily. "They just lit the fire a few minutes ago." Ryu came up beside him, dusting sand off his hands.

A couple of girls ran up to Tomo just as the sound of tinny folk music broke out from the direction of the bonfire. "Guess what? Miss Fujiyama is going to be teaching us folk dances."

"And," the other continued, "she's making Sensei Arai be her partner!" they giggled.

"Pin is going to dance?!" I exclaimed in concert with Yano-chin.

"Hard to believe, right?" Kento chimed in, coming up beside the girls. Kazehaya stepped closer to Sawako. "It seems he lost a bet, and Miss Fujiyama is tougher than she looks." The outline of a few couples could be seen, but it wasn't clear whether any belonged to the teachers.

"Come on, Ayane-chan," he cajoled. He flung an arm over her shoulders in his overly familiar way and propelled her toward the fire. "You don't want to miss this."

"You're right. I won't believe it unless I see it with my own eyes," she told him, casually smacking his hand off but continuing by his side toward the fire. "And then I'll probably wish I hadn't." They laughed. "And don't call me that," I heard her say as their voices faded away.

Sawako spoke next. "Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful to know how to dance just like the festival dancers on TV?"

"Yes, let's go, Tomo!" her friends grabbed her hands and tugged.

"You, too, Sawako!" Tomo added, pulling her along. Sawako squeaked, and they giggled as they tripped off into the shadows.

There was a weighty silence, finally broken by Ryu. "Aren't you going to go?" he asked Kazehaya.

He sighed. "Dancing." He didn't sound too enthused. "What about you?" he asked Ryu defensively.

"Not _my_ girlfriend," he pointed out. His teeth showed up in the dark as he smiled sadistically. Kazehaya sighed again and stalked off after the others.

I laughed loudly. "Have fun, gentleman!" I teased.

"Kazehaya?" I heard Joe calling after him. He rose from his sandy tomb in a hurry and stumbled after him.

"At least I have a good excuse," I told Ryu, waving one crutch around. "Where'd you guys put your stuff anyway? I'm gonna sit down."

"Huh? Oh, we didn't bring anything."

"Figures," I muttered. "Then can you help me get this backpack off? I've got a towel in it."

"Sure."

I dropped the crutches and held onto one of his shoulders instead. I shrugged off one strap, sliding it down to my elbow. Ryu helped remove it and then stepped in front of me to help with the other side. My heart sped up. There was something distinctly "not friends" about him standing so close. Time moved too slowly as he dragged the strap down my arm to be snagged by my hand.

I was frozen in place, distracted by the electricity racing down my arm to my fingertips. He stood up straight again and looked at me curiously. He was right there, inches from my face. My eyes fell to his full lips.

He inhaled sharply and my eyes shot to his. They were wide with surprise. _What am I doing?_

I tore my gaze away and released his shoulder, wobbling and hopping a couple times while I unlatched the pack and withdrew my beach towel. While I did so, I exclaimed loudly, "Thanks, Ryu! I've got it now. No problem here…" I tossed the towel as best I could to get it to lay flat on the sand. "Oh, er, maybe I should have moved a little closer…." I trailed off, looking at the bonfire structure some distance away.

"No," Ryu said, sounding perfectly collected. "I heard some of the guys brought firecrackers. They'll probably throw them in the fire. You don't want to be too close in your condition."

"My condition," I grumbled, hopping around the towel to line myself up for a controlled fall.

Ryu admonished me. "Quit bouncing around and I'll help you—oof!" One of my hops landed badly and I careened sideways into him, knocking us both off balance. As I yelled, his arms came around me, pulling me against his chest so he would end up under me when we fell. We hit the ground with a shock.

"Ow! Ryu!" I protested. He released his hold and I slid off to one side. His chivalrous gesture did spare my ankle further injury but we were both coated in sand. _So much for the towel idea…_

"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting up and unconsciously reaching for my ankle.

"Yeah. Are you?" He was rubbing an elbow.

"I think so." I started brushing sand off my arms but almost elbowed him in the gut since I was practically on top of him. I spied the towel to my right and wriggled my way over onto it. Ryu stood up and brushed himself off thoroughly. He walked around me to take a seat on the free end of the towel.

"Aaagh! I hate this!" I growled. "I hate being so clumsy and helpless!"

"You're always clumsy."

"No, I'm not!"

"No, you're right. You're always violent. I got them confused."

I punched his arm. "I'm not violent!"

"Ow."

I froze mid-punch and deflated with a sigh. "You're doing it again. You're letting me take it out on you."

He didn't answer. The bonfire was looking more respectable now. A number of people moved in sync with the distant music.

"You don't have to babysit me," I said gamely. "Go ahead and join your friends." I tossed my head in the direction of the pyre. "Yano-chin will be back any time now."

"If Pin sees me there, he'll make me run extra sprints tomorrow."

"He probably will anyway."

His mirthless chuckle indicated agreement. He leaned back on his arms and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankles. "I'm good here."

I watched the flames grow higher and brighter, sparks ascending into the night sky. I felt content, happy just hanging out with him. _Yeah, I'm good here, too._


	13. Chapter 13

KAZEHAYA

I came upon some of my soccer buddies at the edge of the crowd and hung out for a while. As we kidded around, I kept one eye on Sawako. She and the other girls stood roughly in a line, all taking careful steps and fanning their arms as they mimicked Miss Fujiyama. Pin sulked behind the petite teacher, waiting for his part, I guess.

Sawako's hair was loose tonight. It shone like silken threads as she swayed in the firelight. I watched the expressions chase over her face: concentration as she followed the movements of the dance, confusion when she got lost, joy when she shared a victorious moment with the other girls.

"Alright, guys, it's your turn," Miss Fujiyama's voice drifted our way. "Take your place like this." She wrestled with Pin for a moment and finally positioned him at her side. We laughed.

"Get your cowardly butts in gear and go line up with the girls, you spineless toddlers!" Pin bellowed. "It's your big chance to touch a real live woman…mmmf!" His dance partner smothered whatever was coming next and put him in an impressive headlock.

We laughed again and my eyes returned to Sawako. I knew she would find happiness in the exercise, even without a partner, but I hated the sight of her standing there alone. A few guys had joined the girls, but not many.

I remembered how excited she'd been about the whole idea. Sighing, I tried to infuse my voice with enthusiasm. "Duty calls, men." I clapped my hands on a couple of my companions and gave them a push. I led the way, Sawako's gaze landing on me as I entered the light. Her eyes grew wide in surprise.

"You need a partner, right?" I said cheerily.

"Mm-hmm." A grateful smile spread over her face. I sought out our teachers. Pin looked slightly uncomfortable but Miss Fujiyama had him in his place. I mimicked their stance, taking Sawako's left hand in mine and reaching my other arm around her back to grasp her right hand where it rested on her hip.

She inhaled sharply and turned her face to mine. My blush answered hers, but I held my ground as we waited for further instructions. "You look pretty in the firelight," I blurted. That didn't make her any less nervous.

"Th-thank you." She looked embarrassed but pleased.

Miss Fujiyama called for us to begin, and I did my best. It was actually kind of fun having an excuse to hold Sawako, to move together, to lead her by the hand. And we were able to laugh together as we messed up or did something that felt especially foolish.

"I wish I had a video of this," Sawako mused as she passed in front of me. "I want to remember everything."

I laughed easily. "I'm glad you don't!" Leaning close to her face I murmured, "But it's fun, isn't it?"

The repetitive steps came more easily now. I continued, "My mom likes to watch the festival dancers, too." I made a decision. "You should come for dinner soon and we can tell her all about this."

Her steps stuttered and she looked slightly panicked. I tried to allay her fears. "She's been bugging me to get a girlfriend forever. It would make her really happy to meet you."

"H-happy?" she confirmed.

"Trust me." The song ended and chatter erupted all around the fire. Miss Fujiyama was stomping after Pin, who was headed this way.

"Hey," I caught Sawako's attention. "Want to go for a walk?"

"S-Sure," she replied. She looked taken aback at the sudden change of plans. I grabbed her hand and quickly began leading her away from the blaze.

"Shotaaa!" I heard Pin blaring from some distance behind us. "You're not indulging any hidden desires, are you?" Sawako squeaked, and my free hand clenched into a fist.

"Just ignore him and keep walking," I reassured her through gritted teeth. "He's been tormenting me since…"

Yano's voice carried on the air from somewhere behind us. "Sensei…"

"What? Oh, you. Quit falling in love with me—I told you already, I don't…"

"Sensei, have you heard the legend about those rocks over there?" Her tone grew spooky. "They say a girl used to play in those caves…" The sound of her voice trailed off as we left them behind. _Bless you, Yano!_

"Ayane-chan is very good at telling ghost stories," Sawako remarked.

"Yeah, Pin'll be wetting his bed tonight," I chuckled. Sawako made a distressed noise.

"Not really." Our joined hands swung happily between us, the feeling so natural and yet still new.

Sawako stopped, squatting down to look at a spiral shell, and inadvertently pulling me down alongside her. Rather than pick it up and keep it, she turned it over the in the sand. "There you go," she said. The shell trembled and began teetering its way toward the water.

"Oh," I said with delight. "You found a hermit crab. Cool." Crouching side by side, we watched its haphazard progress. The moon obliged us by escaping the clouds for a moment and shedding silver light over the scene.

Our eyes met again and we exchanged grins at sharing this moment of simple wonder. Peace and happiness resonated between us. The joy and the oneness drew me closer to her; my eyes fell to her curving lips. If I were to lean in just a little… _No!_ I was getting ahead of myself. I had to think of what Sawako would want.

I stood, pulling her up with me.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her sweet voice sounding troubled. I realized my expression must be foreboding and tried to shake off my inner argument.

"No," I told her gently. "I'm just not as patient as I should be."

"Huh?"

"I'm just glad we're finally here. Finally together, I mean." I lifted our joined hands like Exhibit A. On impulse, I brought them to my lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. She gasped and her eyes grew wide.

"You don't mind, do you?" I asked. She still looked fearful but shook her head.

"Good!" I said cheerfully. I led us forward again, lacing my fingers with hers.

"Shota?" I was still shocked to hear my name on her lips.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

I stopped in my tracks. "Ahhh," I moaned, scrubbing one hand down my face. "You're not good for my heart," I complained.

"S-sorry! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, trying to back away from me. I held on tight and wouldn't let her escape.

Turning my gaze back to her, I smiled and said, "It's okay. You can stop my heart anytime you feel like it."

She looked concerned. I brushed several wisps of hair from her face, my fingers sliding from her temple to her jaw. "I love you, too, Sawako."

I think I even said it without blushing.


	14. Chapter 14

CHIZURU

With Pin's departure, the dancing lessons fizzled out. Somebody changed the radio to a pop station and a small knot of kids gathered around it to dance to the more upbeat tunes.

The backlit form of Ayane shuffled up. "That was great," she said, pulling a hotel towel from her bag. "Honestly, if I'm ever feeling depressed I'm just going to remember the sight of Pin…" she broke into giggles. "Pin waving his arms around like a drunk air traffic controller." She spread out the towel and took a seat.

Her laugh was contagious. "We could kind of see it" I told her.

"But not the expression…" she gulped air, "…on his face!" She dissolved into laughter.

Joe and a couple of the guys showed up next. "Yano's right," he said. "It looked like this." He grabbed his neighbor and they gave us a hilarious impression of Pin's dancing.

Tomo and her friends joined the group, laughing at the guys as well. "Oh, stop it already," she scolded them. "It was fun!" Joe's dance partner grabbed her hands and began jerking her about in his Pin impression. I pulled my ankle a little closer to my body.

Several other girls appeared at the edge of the group. "Are you guys talking about our teachers?" asked a familiar, tinkling voice. I cursed under my breath. Ryu shifted beside me.

"Miss Fujiyama is amazing, isn't she?" the stalker continued. "Oh, hi, Ryu-senpai!

I may have growled.

"Hey, how's it going?"

She took his greeting as an invitation and plopped down in the sand beside him. "Oh, Yoshida. How is your ankle?"

 _Grrr. Stop being nice already._

"I think it might be getting a little better."

"Oh?" Ryu asked, looking at me, not Hiromi. I felt smug. And kind of warm.

"Yeah. I'm not ready for a rematch yet, but hopefully I'll be back in P.E. class in a day or two."

"A rematch," she said on a giggle. "You're so funny. But I know what you mean about P.E. Gosh, I hate sitting through a whole day of classes without P.E."

If I didn't dislike this girl so much, I might actually like her.

Ayane chimed in. "Yeah, it's too bad P.E. grades don't count more. Chizuru would never have to attend remediation."

"Hey!" I protested. I heard Ryu chuckling too. I elbowed him hard. "What are you laughing about, you dumb jock? It's not like you have much going on upstairs."

"Oh, now, that's not true, Yoshida," Hiromi said seriously. "A good catcher has to be smart. He has to learn his pitcher's strengths and weaknesses: his money pitches, which pitches he has trouble controlling, whether he's good at watching the runners, whether he's confident or overconfident or likely to lose his nerve after a few bad turns. And he has to do it for each pitcher—the aces and the relief pitchers—each year they play."

We all sat spellbound by her dissertation. She continued with barely a breath. "The catcher has to constantly analyze not only the pitcher's frame of mind and his level of fatigue, but also the game situation when he's calling for pitches. He has to analyze the batter's stance to decide what kind of pitch he's expecting or hoping for and which pitch will be hardest for him to hit. And then he has to remember what he learned about that batter for the next time he's up, so he can make it even harder for him to get a hit."

"Then a really good catcher," she glanced at Ryu, "will memorize information on the hitters they'll face in the next game." She shrugged. "If we have a scouting report, that is."

I was floored. This girl really knew her stuff. And so did… Nah! I laughed loudly. "You're trying to tell me all that is going through Ryu's brain?" The man himself was looking between his knees at a mound of sand he kept sifting through his fingers.

She glared at me. "Ryu-senpai is a really good catcher."

I stubbornly pointed out the obvious. "You haven't even seen him in a game,"

"Yes, I have." Her own stubbornness rang through. "I saw him in the Spring Tournament."

Ryu's head snapped up at that. I couldn't see his face, but I didn't like the way he was staring at her.

My mouth hung open and I felt the prick of tears beginning to form. This girl was going to steal Ryu away from me. My Ryu.

In a flash I felt—probably for the first time ever—just how much he meant to me. I took for granted that he would always be nearby, because for so many years he'd been a steady presence by my side—in school, walking home, hanging out, or when we went out with friends. He always welcomed me, never turned me away or lost his temper, even when I hurt him like I did over that surprise birthday present last spring.

He always tried to protect me, whether it was my heart where Tohru was concerned or when several guys I'd bested in middle school decided to gang up on me.

He was the voice of reason in my head when I was all fired up to do something crazy. But unless I was planning something dangerous, he put up with my craziness without being ashamed to be seen with me. I think sometimes I even did things just to show off for him.

He was always honest with me (sometimes too honest!), which is a good thing because, let's face it, I can be pretty gullible. And his sense of honesty served as my conscience. I stopped confiding in him long ago about, er, gray areas, because eventually I knew what he was going to say before he said it. He was just so predictably truthful about things.

 _So when he said 'I like you' he was being truthful?_

But maybe it was just a passing feeling and he was too honest to keep it hidden. Maybe it didn't really mean a whole lot.

 _So why is it that now I'm hoping it did mean something?_

I tuned back in to hear Yano-chin pumping Hiromi for stories about Pin's coaching. Kazehaya—when did he show up?—jumped in from time to time with baseball stories about Pin from when he was younger as well.

A loud series of cracks suddenly split the air and we all jumped. Students near the bonfire shrieked and ran, then relaxed into laughter as they realized the noise came from some firecrackers.

I remembered Ryu's statement from earlier. _"I heard some of the guys brought firecrackers. They'll probably throw them in the fire. You don't want to be too close in your condition."_ My heart clenched. Ryu…

o-o-o-o-o

The next morning I moped my way through the bus ride home. Ryu had to sit with Hiromi again. To go over stats. Sure.

On the way, I called my mom and she agreed to come pick me up in the car. My ankle was less swollen and I could even put a little weight on it, but I didn't fancy walking all the way home.

Thanks to my handicap I was the last one off the bus. I went to collect my luggage and found Ryu unloading his bag. His gaze flitted to me and back again, and he pulled out my bag without a word. I thanked him and offered him a ride.

As my mom drove, we filled her in about the trip until she suddenly had to take a phone call.

"So you still have practice this afternoon?" I asked Ryu.

"Yeah. We have our first game tomorrow."

"I know that!" I said, taking some offense. I wanted him to know that I remembered.

He was quiet, watching the familiar scenery speed by.

"Hey, Ryu," I began more timidly. "Was it true what Hiromi said last night? About all the stuff you have to notice and remember."

"Yeah," he said, turning from the window to meet my eyes. His dark gaze betrayed nothing. "But she made it seem a lot harder than it really is."

"Hmm," I mused. "I wonder if she did," I said, betraying my suspicion that he was being modest. Our eyes held, each reading the other. I felt my face start to heat.

Quickly I turned my head away to look out my window. "Well, it's still pretty cool."

He grunted, but it sounded like he was pleased.


	15. Chapter 15

KAZEHAYA

Yoshida made sure everyone came out to watch the baseball team's first home game, which would start shortly after school dismissal. I hung around while Sawako watered her flowerbeds and then we headed for the athletic fields. The game was already underway when we started down the hill we students favored for spectating.

I scanned the various groups clustered here and there until I found Yoshida and Yano surrounded by twenty or so classmates and former classmates. "Did we miss anything?" I asked as we came up behind them.

"Kazehaya!" Joe yelled at the same time Ayane called out for Sawako. My girlfriend gave a timid wave.

"We saved you a spot!" Yoshida called, patting the grass in front of her.

We picked our way through the noisy obstacle course of students who greeted me or both of us as we passed. As we settled ourselves in the proffered spot, Yoshida said. "This is only the third batter." My eyes automatically catalogued the situation. We had a runner on second, one out.

"So where have you two been?" Yano asked, a catlike gleam in her eyes.

Oblivious, Sawako answered her honestly. "I was taking care of the plants. I'm sorry I was late."

"Pfft. Don't be sorry for that. Be sorry you don't have a better reason for being late," Yano said, looking away.

"Oh." I could tell Sawako was confused, but I wasn't going to enlighten her. "I'm sorry."

Yoshida chimed in. "Don't worry, Sawako, there's lots more game time left."

"Oh?"

 _Hmm._ "Sawako," I began, my familiarity wringing smiles from her wingmen, "have you ever actually watched a baseball game?"

She put a finger to her chin and looked upward while she thought. "Some. On television."

Plink! The sound of a bat connecting interrupted my thoughts. _All right! A successful bunt and now a runner on third._

"Just so you know, this game could last for a couple hours."

Yep, she was surprised. "In that case I should call my mother and let her know I'll be late." She was so thoughtful. I wondered what her parents were like to have raised a daughter like her.

"RYU!" Yoshida bellowed. "Bring 'em home!"

I winced, my ear drums ringing. Ryu looked in our direction, his face unreadable in the shadow of his helmet, then he stepped up to the plate.

I leaned over to Sawako, my mouth next to her hair so she could hear despite my lowered voice. "You might want to cover your ears for when he gets a hit." She turned her head to look a question at me. We realized at the same moment how close our faces were and both pulled away hastily. I heard a smothered chuckle from the general direction of Yano.

"Trust me," I said, glancing at my girlfriend. Her face was still pink, but she nodded and put her hands in place.

I had mine ready as well, and when Ryu ripped a good one my hearing was saved for another day, despite Yoshida's loud whooping. She certainly was an enthusiastic fan.

When I lowered my hands, Sawako did the same and soon was withdrawing something from her school bag. "Um, I brought cookies for everyone."

I began salivating immediately. The few cookies I'd tasted from her before (and even the stale Valentine's chocolates) left me in no doubt these would be delicious.

Yoshida was on my wavelength. "Homemade?" she asked eagerly.

"Mm-hmm."

Sawako handed the bag to me, coloring slightly as she did so. _She wants me to have them first_ , I realized. It was crazy how such a little thing made me feel ridiculously special.

I grinned. "Thank you." I took a few and handed the goodies to Andy, who was sitting next to me. I wasn't surprised to hear his sighs of delight a few moments later.

Pretty soon we were surrounded by exclamations. "You made these, Kuronoma?" "Wow, these are great." "Hey, pass the bag back. Are there any left?" "You didn't put any of those diarrhea herbs in these, did you?" The group shared a laugh.

And Yano's and Yoshida's contributions….

"She's great at making cakes too."

"And she decorates them herself."

"Just as good as any store-bought cakes."

"What? No, hers are better. Store-bought always have weird preservatives in them."

"Oooh, we should go to a cake buffet after this."

"No way. I'll get fat."

As they babbled, I watched Sawako happily answering our classmates' questions about her interest in cooking. A smile slid over my lips. I loved watching them discover what a treasure she was. I loved watching her bloom under their approval and attention.

It was a warm day with fluffy clouds. I was watching baseball, which I still loved, surrounded by good friends and with the girl I adored by my side. It was perfect.

"WOOOO! Run! Slide…SLIIIIDE!"

 _Aaghh! Yoshida!_ So much for my hearing.

o-o-o-o-o

A number of Ryu's current teammates had played ball with me in middle school. I still loved to feel a bat in my hands or the thrill of attempting to steal a base, but I wasn't enamored enough to commit to the training regimen and rigorous practice schedule required of high schoolers.

I'm not sure whose idea it was, but everyone agreed we should celebrate our victory by going out for karaoke. I was the obvious candidate to go round up the baseball players and invite them to come.

As I entered the clubhouse, humidity weighed down the air. The smell of sweat battled with the clean scent of showers, as most of the guys were in the process of getting cleaned up. I greeted a few of my old teammates and congratulated them on the win.

"Thanks, man. It was cool to have a cheering section out there," answered one of them.

"Well, it was a great game. I kind of felt bad for the other team, though," I admitted. I noticed Ryu wandering in from the showers, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Were they supposed to be a good match for you? 'Cause you pretty much killed them."

"Last year we played them in prelims, and it was pretty close. They're still a good team."

"Well, you guys looked great. I bet you'll make it to Koshien this year."

"That's always the plan," he assured me with a smile.

How awesome would it be to go and cheer them on in that legendary stadium?

"Oh, by the way, everybody's going out for karaoke and they want you guys to come."

I got the nod from most of them and double-checked that Ryu would be there. "Alright then, make sure everybody else knows," I said as I headed for the door. Just outside I remembered one more thing. I stuck my head in and called, "It's at the usual place on Third."

Turning back around I nearly ran headfirst into their petite manager. "Sorry!"

"No problem," she said with a winning smile. "So what was that about? I hope they're not planning to celebrate by going somewhere that will serve sake to minors." She frowned.

"No, ma'am," I smiled. "Actually a bunch of us are going to karaoke and we wanted them to come along."

"Oh!" She fairly sparkled. "That sounds so fun!"

"Well, you're part of the team. You're welcome to join us."

"Oh, could I? But I might not know anyone else. Who's going?"

She nodded her head when two of the names I listed where Yano and Yoshida, and her face cleared completely when I mentioned Ryu. She plugged me for details on the location and promised to be along shortly.

A little while later I was devouring snacks and listening to bad singing. Thanks to the crowd, Sawako was tucked close against my side. I didn't mind one bit.

Across the table, Yoshida's eyes narrowed as I heard the door shut again. "Who invited her?" she grumbled, apparently to herself.

I followed her gaze to find the baseball manager (what was her name again?) happily chattering away at Ryu. "Oh, uh, I did," I admitted.

She looked like she might kick me. "I guess that's karma then."

"Huh?" I had no idea what she was talking about. She didn't bother to clarify but returned to glaring at the girl. _Gee, I didn't know she was that angry about the whole turned ankle thing._

Ryu spotted our table and came to join us, his shadow tagging along. I began to wonder at her intentions. He took the spot next to Yoshida and the girl squeezed in next to him.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking from me to Sawako. "I'm afraid I don't remember ever getting your names."

I felt Sawako squirming next to me and could've sworn I heard her whisper appreciatively, "Another doll."

"Oh," Ryu answered. "This is Kazehaya Shota and Kuro—numa Sawako." Looking at us he introduced his manager. "This is Mizushima Hiromi."

Yoshida leaned away from Ryu just enough to catch his eye. "That's a long name to remember." She didn't sound pleased. Odd, since she usually gave him such a hard time for forgetting names.


	16. Chapter 16

KAZEHAYA

Before long, Ryu was happily working on a large plate of food while we all rehashed some of the highlights from the game. I noticed Yoshida was quieter than usual. She was flipping pages in the songbook so violently I thought they might tear out.

"And Ryu-senpai had a great game," Hiromi was commenting. "Did you notice how hard it was for them to get a decent hit? He's probably the reason…"

"Hey, look at this," Yoshida thrust the songbook in front of Ryu's face. "Oh, man, we totally loved this song in middle school. We have to do it."

"I'm tired," he protested.

"Ryu!" She whacked him with the book. "You're always tired. Now scoot." She hip-checked him for good measure and Hiromi fell off the bench. Ryu slowly complied with Yoshida's wishes. He usually did, after all.

They gave an entertaining rendition of a rap song that I remembered had been popular several years ago. It was doubly entertaining to watch the contrast of Yoshida's wild antics alongside Ryu's poker-faced performance. Looking left I could see that Sawako was delighted by the duo. Next to her, Yano shook with mirth as she recorded the whole thing on her phone. Hiromi paged through the songbook, only looking up from time to time.

When the rappers returned, Hiromi stood to let them by. Ryu hesitated until Yoshida gave him a shove inward and then sat next to him. Ryu's fan looked a little sour at the seating swap.

Rather than take the spot next to Yoshida, she said, "I think I'll have a turn." She headed off.

Yoshida was gushing, still energized from the performance. "Oh, man, I forgot how fun that was!" She leaned forward toward Sawako. "We used to listen to that song over and over so we could learn all the words." Sitting back again, she caught Ryu's eye, her face relaxed and a fond smile in place. "Poor Pops. Remind me to apologize to him." He chuckled.

"There were so many words, and so fast," Sawako breathed in admiration. "It must have been very difficult to learn. And to think you still remember it so well—it was wonderful!"

"Who're you texting?" Yoshida asked Yano curiously. Turning, I saw that she wore an amused smile as she tapped away at her phone.

Flipping it shut, she answered. "Kento. He's ticked that I won't tell him where the party's at." She didn't look annoyed, though; she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her phone chimed again and she checked the message, chuckling evilly at its contents but ignoring the rest of us.

A few of the team members stopped by the table just then and we were discussing the game when our attention was arrested by a clear, soprano voice. It couldn't be one of our usual crowd; I would have remembered such a beautiful tone. We all turned at once to find the source of the heavenly sound.

"Mizushima?!" I wondered aloud at the same time as Yano swore.

More than one mouth hung open. Her lilting voice infused tenderness and longing into the love song she'd chosen.

My heart was moved as I realized how the words spoke to me of Sawako. I reached for her hand under the table. It felt intimate somehow, our fingers entwined but hidden from everyone else and resting on my thigh. I figured Sawako was feeling anxious about it, so I grinned at her and loosed a short, self-conscious laugh. My world righted itself as I watched her face relax. Her hand tightened ever so slightly around mine.

Feeling my face heating, I hastily turned back to the songstress. I realized she was focused on our table and really getting into the mood.

When she finished, the room erupted in riotous applause and cheers. The girl smiled bashfully and made a beeline for our group. The players, still hanging about, eyed her appreciatively. I hadn't noticed before, but she was actually quite pretty. They showered her with praise as she stood wringing her hands in a perfect show of modesty.

Finally she spoke. "I've always liked to sing but I've never…well, you're probably just being kind." She made eye contact with each of us as she spoke, but her gaze settled on Ryu and it was obvious her next question was directed at him. "Was it really good?"

He offered a small smile. "Well, I don't know much about singing, but I thought it sounded good. Maybe you could join the glee club or something."

Yoshida stood abruptly. Her face looked kind of scrunched. "I'm going home. Gotta get to work studying. Exams coming up and all."

 _Studying? Yoshida?_

She left quickly, our farewells following her. Hiromi didn't seem to notice, surrounded by admiring teammates as she was, and she comfortably took the seat Yoshida had vacated. Next to Ryu.

He was looking at the door, a frown on his face. Yano wore a similar expression.

She turned and caught Ryu's eye. From my angle I couldn't see what passed between them, but he said, "Yeah, I'm gonna bounce." He shared a round of fist bumps with his teammates and called over his shoulder, "Later."

o-o-o-o-o

CHIZURU

 _Stupid._ Whack!

A fallen tree branch was conveniently lying by the sidewalk just down the street from the karaoke place, and I wielded it freely, taking out my frustration on unsuspecting objects. Crossing a bridge now, I attacked each post with my switch.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Whack-whack-whack!

 _Why did I get up and run off so abruptly? For that matter, why have I been acting like such an idiot when that girl is around? Ugh, and why does just thinking of her make me start to feel angry again?_ Whack-whack!

I knew it was related to Ryu somehow. Yano-chin's words came back to me: _'Listen, Chizu. I think you already know the answer. You just don't want to admit it.'_

I sighed. _Maybe it's time to look the issue straight in the face._ I pushed past the anxiety rising in my gut and asked the question I'd been avoiding. _Do I actually have feelings—like, romantic feelings—for my childhood playmate?_

I tried to picture it. Could I see us holding hands as we walked home? _Yeah. I could see me laughing and giving him a hard time and him taking it and giving me that indulgent smile of his while we walked hand in hand. But we'd often done-well, not exactly that, but I'd hung on his arm often enough. Our behavior up until now wasn't all that different from what I was trying to imagine, so that could still be friendly feelings._

All right, a harder one then. Something I'd heard girls in love did… I know! Would I ever text him before bed to say 'I love you?'

 _Okay, that one is harder to imagine._ But could I imagine him saying the words to me?

I inhaled sharply. _I can! I totally can!_ I'd seen the look a hundred times but never realized what it was saying. Sometimes when he held my gaze, there was this concern and longing in his dark eyes and his serious expression. That face said, 'I love you;' he'd just never actually verbalized it.

I was in shock. I was flushed. I was… happy? _It makes me happy to think he's been in love with me?_

 _But wait, am I rewriting history? I could be wrong…. Aaargh! Why am I so stupid?!_ Whack-whack-whack!

I heard the rhythmic tread of a jogger approaching and moved to the side to allow them passage. But the sound stopped about a yard behind me and subsided into a normal walking pace.

We moved in tandem for a long half-minute. _Okay, this is a little freaky. Am I about to get jumped?_ I gripped my branch more tightly and closed my other hand into a fist. I'd taken down ninety-nine boys in middle school…I could handle this. Probably. Tensing my body for action, I shot a glance over my shoulder…and then spun around.

"Ryu! What the… I almost decked you!"

"Heh," he chuckled. "It would have been funny to see you try."

"What are you doing?" Annoyance colored my tone.

"Walking home?"

"I know _that_. I mean, why were you walking five steps behind me the whole time?"

"I'm not coming any closer until you get rid of that." He indicated my switch. I had a strong urge to use it on him just for saying so, but, true enough, he had positioned himself out of reach.

I deflated. "Fine." I tossed it over the rail and into the water. I turned to resume trudging my way home. Ryu was beside me in a few long strides.

"Finished with your party so soon?" I asked haughtily. _Crap. What am I doing?_

He didn't answer, just kept walking beside me. At length he observed, "You don't like Hiromi, do you?"

I jumped. "Of-of course I…" I began my denial, but choked on the words. "Ah, screw it." More quietly I said, "No, I don't. I mean, she's probably an okay person, I wouldn't really know. I just don't like with way she always flirts with you." _Ack! I admitted it!_ My face flushed and I rushed to cover up what felt like an admission of something. "I don't like flirts."

He was looking at me now, looking down from those extra few inches of height he'd gained on me. _What is he thinking?_ I chanced a quick peek but was trapped by what I saw. It was _the look_. So much hunger. But also some surprise and maybe…hope?

 _Wait, is he hopeful I like him back after all this time, because I admitted I didn't like her flirting with him? Or is he hopeful that she likes him because I said she flirts with him? Aaargh! Why am I so dense?!_

He looked away again as we came to a crossing. "You think she flirts with me?" He sounded like it was news to him. "Ah-hah. I don't think so."

"What?!" I was annoyed at his cluelessness. "Of course she does." My voice went all fluttery and falsetto as I said, "Oh, Ryu-senpai, you're just the BEST catcher ever, and oh, Ryu-senpai, come sit by me and we'll talk about stats, and oh, gee, did you like my song? I sang it JUST for you." _Where's that stick anyway? I need to whack something._

He was amused by my impersonation. His smile was teasing but his voice was matter-of-fact as he said, "Ah. So you're jealous."

"What?! No, I'm not!" I protested loudly.

He leaned his forearm heavily on my head. "Dummy," was all he said.

I wanted to get off the subject as quickly as possible so I ignored the jibe. We were almost at my house anyway. "By the way, the game was awesome. You had their batters totally faked out. Did all that studying help you?"

"Yeah. And Yuki was on today."

"The pitcher?" He grunted affirmation. "I was watching how you guys communicated. He shook off your calls a few times but not a lot."

"That's okay. The pitcher always knows his own physical and mental limitations better than I can."

We halted by my porch.

"And you were reading him—through the whole game?" I clarified.

He looked at me curiously. "Yeah, I have to. Yuki's pretty talented, but if a few plays go badly he can lose his nerve. I have to make sure things don't get out of hand, especially if we get to Koshien."

"Cool," I said, pretty amazed. "Think you will?"

He smiled widely. As if sharing a secret, he admitted, "I think this year we will."

I grinned back, and we stood there in our happy little world for a long moment. Then something seemed to crackle in the air between us and our smiles dropped away. My eyes fell to his lips and I wanted to be closer to him.

A single car whizzed by, splashing its headlights across us and returning me from the brink of insanity. I took a step backward. "Well, g-goodnight," I called, waving as I dashed for the door.

I closed it behind me and sagged against it. My heart was fluttering like a hummingbird's wings.

 _I can't believe it. I like Ryu._


	17. Chapter 17

CHIZURU

Yano-chin was acting cagey.

She'd texted me after karaoke to make sure I was okay. I told her how Ryu'd caught up with me and I'd nearly taken a swing at him. I didn't tell her any of the rest. The next morning I wondered if I'd imagined the whole romantic moment thing, since Ryu and I were back in our routine and relating normally. But as the day progressed, I realized I now had a weird heightened awareness around him sometimes. Like when the air is really dry and you can feel the static electricity tingling all around you and you know you're in for a shock any minute.

Anyway, yesterday Yano-chin seemed normal before class and during lunch. But after school she couldn't go out because she had 'some things to do.' Then today she was insisting Sawako and I join her after school but wouldn't say why. The baseball team's last practice game was today and I really wanted to go, but the girl was making me crazed with curiosity.

And that's how the afternoon found Sawako and me following Yano-chin around based on the promise that she'd explain 'when we got there.' I was up for the surprise, especially after she suggested we pick up some cakes at a bakery along the way, so despite the overcast skies the walk was pleasant.

I noticed we were passing the shrine I always visited with Ryu on New Year's. I remembered how he'd humored me last year as Ayane and I spied on Sawako's 'date' and tried to distract Joe from interrupting it. It was funny to look back on now. Ryu and I had finally broken away to go say our prayers and indulge his craving for amazake. The time we spent together was almost like our own date. It was comfortable and fun and happy. _Could it be that easy if we were dating for real?_

A bright flash of color caught my eye. A nearby booth was selling an array of omamari while a few tourists consulted guidebooks to determine which would bring them the luck they desired. A thought struck me.

"Hey, hold up a second," I called to my companions as I headed for the display. I quickly scanned the amulets and found one wrapped in red silk. My fighting color…perfect.

Ayane walked up as I made the purchase. "What's that for?"

"Luck!" I said, giving her a cheeky grin. "I think I'll give it to Ryu for the tournament. He thinks they can get to Koshien this year. But a little extra help never hurts," I said, shaking the small bag that held my gift.

Sawako exclaimed. "Oh, Chizu-chan, that is very kind of you. I'm certain he will be very happy."

"Even if it's red," Yano-chin muttered.

A few minutes later she was leading us up a flight of stairs to the second story of a nondescript apartment building. Stopping at one of the doors, she inserted a key and swung the door open.

"Go ahead," she said. "Take your shoes off." As we did so, I scanned the room. It seemed to be a standard one-bedroom apartment, with a spacious sitting area that doubled as bedroom (a futon was rolled up in one corner), a balcony, and a small kitchen.

"Whose place is this?" I asked. I wondered if Ayane had a new boyfriend.

She backed into the main room and held her arms wide, a big grin on her pretty face. "Mine."

Sawako inhaled a long, admiring breath while I scanned the room, recognizing some of Yano-chin's clothes and belongings. "Ayane-chan, you live here?"

"Yes, isn't it great?" she enthused. "Oh, that reminds me. I have to text my mom and let her know I'm home. She's still kind of nervous." She knelt before a low table where she'd dropped her purse and pulled out her phone.

"Still?" I picked up on the word. "How long have you lived here?"

She finished texting while I placed the cake box on the table and took a seat. Sawako joined me.

Yano-chin finally looked up. "I just moved in yesterday."

"Wow, Ayane," I said, looking around the apartment that belonged to my friend. "This is so cool." A thought occurred to me. "Do you have a roommate?"

"No," she laughed. "It's all mine." She sighed. "It feels so good to be on my own."

"But isn't this really sudden?" I asked. Sawako's eyes were still wide in amazement.

"Yes and no," she answered, looking upward as she thought. "I've been thinking of moving out ever since my mom's new boyfriend started spending more time hanging around our house. But when he moved in, I finally told my mom how I felt and she understood." She laughed, but it sounded a little bitter. "To be honest, I think she was partly relieved to have me out of their way."

"Yano-chin." I was moved for her.

She smiled serenely. "None of that," she said, shooing away my sentiment with a wave of her hand. "Believe me, I'm a lot happier this way. And," she added, "we'll all be on our own soon enough."

"I guess so." I hadn't thought much about my future. _Well, plenty of time for that later. Speaking of time…_

I checked my watch. The game would have started twenty minutes ago.

"I'll help you," Sawako was saying as she followed Ayane into the kitchen. I could hear her pointing out this and that to Sawako who expressed her appreciation freely with oohs and ahhs. I opened the box of cakes and took a big whiff of the heavenly aroma.

They returned, setting out juice boxes, plates and utensils. "How did you find this place?" I asked.

"Kento actually has a friend who lives in the building…"

"Kento?" I interrupted. I was surprised to hear his name mentioned.

"Yes," she said, carefully removing cakes from the box and giving each of us the confection we'd chosen. "Do you know his friend Tsuru?"

"Oh, yeah. The grumpy-looking one."

She laughed. "That's him. Anyway, they're good friends so Kento knew the location was pretty close to school and the price was reasonable, and he figured at least then I'd know a guy nearby in case I ever had a problem." She smirked at the last bit.

"That guy looks like he could _be_ the problem," I observed.

"He's all right; I think Kento just drives him a little nuts." I had cake in my mouth, but made noises of sympathy. "They helped carry up some of my boxes yesterday, and…"

"They?" I interjected. "You mean, Kento was here?"

"Well, yeah," she said. "I wanted to surprise you guys, and you know Kento…he was all excited that I ended up living someplace that he'd recommended." Yeah, I could picture that. "Besides, I think he's growing on me."

Now Sawako's eyes were really huge. Probably mine were too.

"What?" she laughed easily. "Don't look at me like that. Sure, he's kind of flashy but it's refreshing to be around a guy who's not pretending to be one thing or another just to impress me." Her face grew speculative. "He's comfortable around girls but it's not like he's always calculating how to…" She shot a look at Sawako. "Well, let's just say he would be a welcome change from college guys."

"If you say so," I said dubiously. I checked my watch again. Probably in the third inning by now.

Sawako piped in. "Ayane-chan, are you…are you and Miura-sensei dating?" She seemed hopeful.

"Not yet. We're just having fun with where things are at right now." Sawako nodded a few times. Yano-chin looked down, pushing crumbs around on her plate. "I just, sometimes I look at my mom and how she's never been able to settle down and stay with one man. I'm afraid I'm going to be like her." She looked up sadly. "I don't want to be like that."

Tear welled in my eyes and Sawako breathed a compassionate, "Ayane-chan."

"Stop it, stop it," she said, waving us off again. "You cry too easily. I'm just saying that I'm willing to try something a little different. And I'm not going to rush into things anymore."

I nodded vigorously, swiping tears away.

"That's a good plan, Ayane-chan," Sawako affirmed.

Yano-chin cleared away the dishes and soon we were helping her hang pictures on the walls. A little while later the doorbell rang. I finished cleaning fingerprints off one of them while Ayane answered the door.

Kento's voice came through loud and clear. "Yano, we were thinking about…Oh, what have we here?" he said, delight coloring his tone. He stepped into the foyer. "Sadako-chan! Yoshida-chan! Welcome!"

Sawako flushed bright red, probably remembering our recent conversation, as I was.

"Oho!" he said playfully. "Were you talking about me? You were, weren't you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Yano shot him down. "And why are you welcoming them to my place anyway?"

He ignored the remark. "Oh, it's looking nice, I see." He scanned the walls, beaming his approval at the artwork.

"So what brings you here?" Ayane asked. Her tone was normal, but I noticed she absently twirled a lock of her hair.

Kento turned his attention to her. "Tsuru and I were just saying we felt like karaoke tonight. And here you all are, so it's perfect!"

I glanced at my watch again. I really wished I could see at least the end of the game, but that would be impossible if…

"That sounds fun," Yano-chin agreed. "And then I wouldn't have to cook dinner. What do you guys think? Sawako, you could call Kazehaya and invite him," she suggested.

"Mm," she nodded, flushing slightly but already looking for her phone.

Yano-chin looked at me. "Oh, uh, sure," I said, rubbing the back of my head self-consciously.

"Oh, I forgot," Ayane declared. "You were just about to leave for the game, right?"

"Oh? What game?" Kento asked.

"The baseball team has a practice game today," she told him, looking directly at me. I'm sure my face betrayed my surprise. "You should probably get going then," she said, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me toward the door. Behind us, Kento was convincing Sawako to trade phone numbers with him.

Tears were filling my eyes again. "Yano-chin…"

"Stop it, stop it." As I slipped on my shoes, she said quietly. "You've been checking the time every five minutes. Go cheer for Ryu."

I nodded, giving her a watery smile. "Yano-chin, you're…"

"I know, I know," she said fondly. "Just promise to call me later if anything exciting happens." She pulled open the door and gave me a shove.

I grabbed the doorjamb and stuck my head back in. "Oh, Yano-chin?"

"Hmm?"

I kept my voice pitched low. "His butt looks great in baseball pants."

"I know, right?" she enthused.

"Ayane!"

"Sorry, sorry," she laughed as the door closed behind me.


	18. Chapter 18

CHIZURU

I checked the scoreboard when I arrived and found that we were up by two. The crowd was a lot thinner today, either because it wasn't the first game or maybe because of the threatening skies. It would be completely dark by the time the game ended, but I had planned to wait and walk home with Ryu anyway so I wasn't concerned.

Since it was already the eighth inning, Ryu was working with a relief pitcher and the guy seemed a little hard to predict. I watched their interaction with growing respect for my…friend. Then in the last inning Ryu got an amazing hit that brought in two runs. I yelled his name and cheered. As he positioned himself on third waiting for the next batter, I saw him searching the crowd. I whooped and waved to get his attention. When he locked on to me I felt…connected somehow, despite the distance between us. A warm, happy feeling bubbled inside.

When the game ended I stopped by the vending machines and then went to wait outside the locker rooms. I greeted a few of the players I knew as they exited, congratulating them on another win.

Pin's blaring voice preceded him. "Hayato! Takeru! Congratulations, you're on clean-up duty." He stomped out the door carrying a pile of sweaty uniforms and nearly collided with me. "What? Oh, you. What are you doing hanging around here? Trying to get a peek at some naked men, eh? Well, I know us athletes are fine specimens of…"

I interrupted him. "What?! No! I'm just waiting for someone."

"Ohh," he mused, leaning toward me in a conspiratorial manner. "Got a wittle cwush on somebody, huh?"

My fists clenched. "Ugh! You are the worst teacher ever!"

He leaned away and loosed a belly laugh. "Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love my job!" he rejoiced, tramping away.

After a few minutes, Ryu emerged. A sense of well-being flooded me at the sight. To cover my embarrassment I said, "Whoa. What's up with your hair?"

"Huh?" He reached a hand up to smooth the top of his buzz cut. It was growing out and sticking up all over.

"That's not the problem," I told him. Stepping in front of him I reached a hand up to either side of his head and smoothed down the sides. "This is the problem." I finished my grooming and wiped my now-wet hands on the front of his t-shirt. I'd done it many times before, but this time I noticed too late what I was doing and how close we were and how I was touching his chest and it felt…

I hastily pulled my hands away and turned to find my bookbag. Pulling the strap over my shoulder I began walking, studiously avoiding eye contact.

"Good game, by the way. Well, what I saw of it. I didn't get here until the eighth inning. Did you get any good hits earlier?"

He gave me a short summary. "Oh," I said, remembering. I pulled out a bag of cookies I'd picked up at the bakery. "Here." I thrust it his direction, still not meeting his eyes.

"Thank you." He began devouring them.

"I didn't see Hiromi today," I observed. "Did she quit?" A girl could hope.

"She went to scout one of the teams we'll play next."

"Yeah," I said with some resentment. "She's all about scouting." _Scouting guys._

He made a noise of agreement and swallowed the last of his snack. "Her intel really helped me in these last two games. She knows what kind of things will be useful."

 _Grrrr. Must. Behave._

He continued. "Did you see how the last batter kept hitting foul balls? Hiromi figured out that he…." I kinda tuned out while he elucidated all her brilliant observations. _Okay, so she's the greatest, I get it_. "We're lucky to have her," he finished. _Don't you mean '_ I'm _lucky to have her?'_

When his tribute concluded I remained silent. It sure sounded like he was already more than halfway in love with her.

I grew more depressed with each step. When we reached my porch he hesitated. "Chizuru," he began.

I'd heard that tone before. When he was trying to tell me about Tohru's engagement.

I felt tears pricking my eyelids and hastily turned away. "See you," I called over my shoulder as I retreated.

When the door closed behind me, I trudged upstairs. I wouldn't be calling Yano-chin about anything exciting tonight.

o-o-o-o-o

KAZEHAYA

I hadn't planned on going out, but when Sawako called to invite me for karaoke, of course I couldn't say no to her. Especially when I heard Kento would be there. I didn't like the way he looked at my girlfriend. Or the way he was so free about touching her face and her hair and… well, I just didn't like anything about him being around Sawako.

I called a few other people, so we got a decent crowd together and I had a good time after all. Eventually Sawako said she needed to get home and the group began to disperse.

Yano's taunting voice followed us as we strolled away. "Good night, gentleman."

"When is she going to get tired of that?" I muttered.

Kento joined in the fun. "Treat her right, gentleman," he sang. They laughed together. I clenched my fists but kept walking.

A sweet voice next to me said, "It makes me almost too happy sometimes…to think I have so many friends now. Thank you for sharing your New Years' luck with me." My anger blew away with the wind.

"Well, I think they are the lucky ones," I said. "To be friends with you." I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "And I'm the luckiest of all," I said leaning forward to grin at her. She sighed happily.

"So will you be offering another cram session before exams this time?" I asked.

"I-I guess I could. If you think it would help."

"Definitely. Everyone said how great you did last time, right?"

"Mm."

"And how much it helped their grades, right?"

"Mm-hmm." She sounded more definite this time. "Maybe I could write out some notes while I'm making Chizu-chan's study packet," she mused.

"There you go. Just…would you let me do something for you?"

"Sure." She looked at me questioningly.

I averted my eyes. "Will you let me announce it to the class?"

"Oh, okay. Thank you very much." I breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to make sure Kento didn't force her into anything this time.

Too soon we were at the intersection near her house where we usually parted. We stopped but I didn't want to let go of her hand.

"Thank you for walking me home," she said.

"At least now I can do it without pretending I need something from the convenience store."

"Huh?" She turned her face to me in question.

"Nothing. I had fun tonight. Thanks for calling me."

"I…wanted you to come." The moon was completely obscured tonight, but somehow her eyes still sparkled. "I think I'm getting greedy."

I smiled at her cute word picture. "Be as greedy as you want. I don't mind." She gave me a tremulous smile but didn't look completely at ease.

"Is something wrong?"

She blushed and looked down quickly. "N-nothing." _Hmm. Troubling._

I was debating what to do when she tipped her head up again. "Well, goodnight…Shota."

I still caught my breath when she said my name. She didn't back away but continued to watch me expectantly. It was almost like she wanted me to…kiss her goodnight?

No, it had to be my imagination. Unconsciously my eyes fell to her lips. Pink and perfect.

I felt her stiffen and realized I was leaning toward her already. But she looked frightened. I got ahold of myself and changed course, wrapping my arms around her. I held her there until I felt her relax.

A few raindrops began to fall. It was time to go.

As I pulled back from our embrace, I dipped my head and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Her eyes traveled to mine. One dainty hand reached up to touch the spot, then fell away again. I searched her countenance, worried that I'd upset her. While I watched, her eyes crinkled and her lips turned up. Her expression was radiant.

I felt supercharged. A self-conscious laugh escaped and I grinned back at her. "I guess you didn't mind." Oops! My mouth ran away again.

She blushed and looked at her toes.

"Goodnight, Sawako," I said softly. On impulse I swiftly placed another peck on her cheek and dashed off. The rain was falling more insistently before I was twenty feet away, but it didn't affect the smile plastered on my face. I turned to check on Sawako and waved exuberantly when I saw her still standing where I'd left her.

One hand cupped her cheek.


	19. Chapter 19

CHIZURU

Saturday rolled around and with it the baseball team's first game of the prefectural tournament. It was single elimination, with only the top teams continuing on to regionals and finally to Koshien for the national finals. All the baseball guys were buzzing with anticipation.

And Ryu was sleeping on his desk.

I finished the last of my lunch and returned my bento box to my locker. I stopped by my desk to retrieve the omamari I'd brought with me today.

"Ryu!" I called, plunking myself down in the seat next to his. "Wake up."

In slow motion he sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "What?"

I grinned from ear to ear. "I've got something for you." I held out my fist to him, then flipped it over to reveal the amulet resting in my palm.

He took it from me and examined it closely.

I was a little too happy to give it to him, this small gift. It said that I'd been thinking about him, and that I hoped his dream would come true.

He closed his fingers around it and looked at me. "Thank you."

He had _the look_ again. Like he wanted to believe it meant something but was afraid that it didn't. I began to babble. "Now you're sure to have good luck and make it all the way…mmmf." His hand covered my mouth.

"Don't jinx it," he said, his face alarmed.

So I licked his palm.

"Ugh!" He quickly removed his hand and began wiping it on his pant leg while I chortled.

"You baseball players and your superstitions."

He looked a little peeved. "You want it to bring good luck, right? Not bad luck. Dummy."

"Well, I'm going to wear my lucky red shirt too, just to be sure." And I'd worn my bracelet, the one he'd given me, as well.

"Oh. You're coming to the game?"

"Of course, I am! I'm a loyal fan! And it's just across town, anyway."

I faltered, wondering at the reason for his question. "Unless…I shouldn't?" Maybe he didn't want me there.

A pleased smile spread over his face. "You should."

Wow, from Ryu that was practically a love confession. At least my heart seemed to think so, if that soaring feeling was any indication. "Okay, then, I will!" I said. I jumped up and went back to sit with Sawako and Yano-chin.

"Rise. Bow."

"Whew! Finally." I pounced on Yano-chin. "So. Where are we gonna eat? The cake buffet? Or I'm always up for ramen, or…"

"How about…"

"Not that sorry tea room. I need something substantial to hold me over 'til dinner."

She made a wry face. "I was going to say how about we look for a café near the other school? It would be fun to try a new place."

"Oh! Great idea, Yano-chin!" I tossed my bookbag over my shoulder and we headed downstairs in search of Sawako. We were stopped several times by classmates who wanted to know if we were going to the game. I visited the washroom to change into my lucky red shirt and some shorts. At the shoe lockers we met up with Tomo and Ekko. While I told them about the plan, Ayane wandered off to flirt with Kento.

After changing shoes, I finally spotted the girl I'd been looking for. "Sawako! Hey, Sawa!" I called, weaving my way through students to where she stood near the glass exit doors. She was talking to Kazehaya.

When I had her attention I said, "We're going to leave pretty soon so we can stop and eat on the way. We want to be wild and mysterious and find a new place that will surprise us!"

We were interrupted by scattered cheers. Searching for the source of the commotion, I found the baseball team dressed out and filing through the sea of students. Ryu was first in line and looking really good in his uniform. As he approached, Kazehaya called out, "Good luck!" and held up his hand for a high five. Sawako, standing beside him, took notice and raised hers as well.

Whispers of 'Sadako' echoed through the room. Ryu smiled and nodded but didn't break his stride as his fist bumped first Kazehaya's palm and then Sawako's. I watched in amazement as each team member followed suit.

Pin brought up the rear. When he reached Sawako, he clasped both his hands around her small one and looked intently into her eyes. "Give us your blessing," he entreated.

Sawako had that scared, uncomfortable look, but after a long moment she nodded. The room exploded in applause and Pin moved on. Heading through the door he bellowed, "Alright, you girly-girls, hurry up and get the equipment on the bus. And don't expect me to make any pit stops on the way…."

"He is really the worst teacher ever…" I began, but was interrupted when Kazehaya sneezed.

"God bless you," Sawako said earnestly.

"Got some blessing left for me, huh?" he said nasally. He took the tissue Sawako was handing him and tended to his nose. "Pin's probably talking about us," he grumbled.

Ayane came to stand beside me. "Everyone ready?"

Sawako smiled and nodded, but Kazehaya seemed torn. "I think I'm gonna head home. I'm really not feeling too good." Now that I looked, he did seem a little paler than usual, except for the pink spots on his cheeks. But those might be left over from being mad at Pin.

He took Sawako's hand in his—not the blessing one, the other one—and looked only at her. "I'm sorry."

She was already shaking her head. "I don't mind. But are you okay?" Her uplifted face was all concern and adoration.

 _Aww my gawwrsh—they're so cute!_

"I'm fine. It's probably just a cold coming on." He rustled up a smile, but even I could tell it was weak. Sawako seemed to believe him though. He said, "Message me later and tell me everything I missed." He lingered a moment longer, seeming to memorize her face. With one last smile he said, "Bye."

When he disappeared through the doors, Ayane chimed in impishly. "Well, well, Sawako. That's one lovesick prince you've got there."

The girl looked up in surprise. "He's not really sick," I clarified. "Well, not sick from love, anyway…." I babbled happily as we left for our afternoon adventures.

o-o-o-o-o

The game was a blow-out and was called in the seventh inning. Since it was still relatively early, I decided to run down and see if I could find Ryu so I could congratulate him in person. I sent Ayane and Sawako off with the rest of the group, assuring them I knew how to find the train station on my own. As I made my way around the bleachers, the excitement was palpable. After the big win everyone was in high spirits, expecting great things from the rest of the season.

I met up with a few of our players who were walking toward the parking lot. "Congrats, you guys! Great game!" I high fived them all. "Hey, do you know if Ryu is still around, or did he already get on the bus?"

"I think he's in the dugout," one said.

"Thanks!" I headed that way.

Behind me, they murmured among themselves and broke into snickers. I glanced back, but their amusement didn't seem directed at me. _Probably one of them farted. Ugh, guys._

I heard the soothing timbre of Ryu's voice before I rounded the corner of the dugout. Ducking my head, I swung under the low doorway and called out, "Congratulations! That was awe…some." I stuttered to a stop as my eyes interpreted what I was seeing. Ryu wasn't alone. He had his arm nearly around Hiromi and their heads were bent close together. They looked up in surprise at my sudden intrusion and both faces lit up with a blush. Ryu sat up fully and tried unsuccessfully to be casual about moving his arm away from the girl.

I'm not good at hiding my emotions. I'm sure shock was written all over my face.

I tried to pull myself together while inside I felt my heart crumbling to bits. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" I cleared my throat. Attempting to affect my usual swagger, I said, "What an awesome game. I just wanted to congratulate you, uh, you guys. On the great win. It was great. Really." My fake enthusiasm sounded completely flat.

I sensed that the tears would be coming just as soon as the shock wore off completely. I hurried to make my escape. "Well, so, good work and all that!" I pasted a cheery smile on my face. _Oh, crap. He's seen that smile before, when I found out about Tohru. He'll know…_

"Later," I threw over my shoulder as I rushed out the entrance into the harsh fluorescent light.

"Chizuru!" Ryu's voice sounded muffled from inside the dugout. I didn't want him to come after me, to make it all worse by showing compassion or trying to explain. I ran for the bleachers and followed some of the local students as they made their way back toward the school buildings. Blinking furiously, I tried to keep the waterworks contained. Even when the other students turned off, I kept walking, passing a couple of wings before I found a spot illuminated only by the weak moonlight.

My back pressed against the bricks and I sank down in a heap, finally allowing the tears to flow freely. One fist clenched my shirt and pressed against my heart. It literally hurt.

How could this have happened? How did I manage to fall for both Sanada brothers and then have my heart broken by both as well? How did Ryu go from confessing to me to snuggling with that first-year?

 _I know how. I turned him down, or may as well have. Why should he wait around for me—the one who liked his brother better than him all those years—when he has an adorable, baseball-loving, girl who is his fan and his only? What did he ever see in me anyway?_

The tears continued to gush as I gave vent to my violent emotions. We'd had such a deep, deep friendship that when it morphed into something else that something went bone-deep as well. Without realizing it, I'd flitted through 'like' and moved straight on to 'love.'

I turned my bracelet round and round on my wrist. "I love him," I admitted through my tears. "Oh, crap, I love him."

It was a long time before I was composed enough to walk to the train station and make my way home. I half-expected Ryu to be waiting on my doorstep. When he wasn't there, I didn't know whether to feel relieved he wouldn't see my puffy eyes or disappointed that he no longer cared enough to come looking for me.


	20. Chapter 20

CHIZURU

The next morning I was putting painter's tape around the trim in my room when I heard the doorbell chime. I was nearly finished and assumed Mom could get the door.

Her voice drifted up the stairs. "Ryu-chan." I froze in fear. Time to face the music, but I just didn't know how to do it. "Are you here to help Chizuru? I don't know why she suddenly got this bug to repaint her room, but it's kind of you to come. Go ahead on up."

My heart beat double-time as I heard his measured tread on the stairs. I kept my attention focused on the task at hand.

His deep voice announced his entrance. "Yo."

"Yo, yourself. What's up?" I asked breezily.

"Nothing." He came up beside me and my heart hammered faster. I wasn't ready to discuss this.

Without another word, he picked up the roll of tape and started working on the window. The silence was awkward at first, broken only by the scratchy sound of tape being dispensed. _He better not be waiting for me to bring up last night, 'cause he'll be waiting forever!_

Hanging out with Ryu was so familiar that eventually I settled down and things felt normal. Well, except for the way my eyes wanted to drink him in. And the ache in my chest. But as far as communication, soon I was asking him to pass the tape or pointing out a spot he'd missed. We were working in close proximity, since I'd pushed all my furniture to the center of the room, and I felt every brush of our arms and bump of our hips as I never had before. I craved the contact, and I hated myself for it, because I knew I shouldn't indulge a fantasy that would only bring more heartache the next time I saw him with Hiromi.

When the walls were prepared, I took a moment to stretch. Ryu took a seat on the edge of my desk.

"I'm gonna go get the brushes. Are you really going to stick around, or…?" I let it hang.

"Sure," he said. His face was placid, unworried. "You need help carrying stuff?"

"Nah, I got it." I turned to go and he followed, saying, "I'm gonna get some water then. It's starting to get hot."

"Well, I left the window open," I protested, heading down the stairs.

When I returned to the room, he was holding a glass against his forehead and looking at the pictures on my bulletin board. Mostly Yano-chin and Sawako. I'd never bothered to get a picture of Ryu. Always took him for granted.

I tossed some clothes at him. "Here. Takao left these," I said, referring to my brother who was off at college. "It won't matter if you get paint on them." As I set down the brushes and roller tray, I noticed a second glass of water on my dresser. I stood and picked it up. "For me?" I confirmed.

"Yeah."

I felt a warm rush in the region of my heart. Just as quickly I slammed a door on it. "Thanks," I said, deflated. Why did he have to be so nice to me now that it was too late?

When he returned from changing, my glass was half-empty (at least that's how I saw it), and I was pouring the paint into trays.

"Heh."

I was immediately on the defensive. "What?"

"Nothing. It's bright."

"I like it," I said, daring him to disagree. Sure, the peachy coral was a little more girly than my usual taste, but I needed cheery in my life right now. I wanted something to be different.

He was a master at showing little expression, but I detected his skepticism.

"You don't have to like it," I told him.

"Nope. It's you that has to live with it," he said, grinning and turning away to reach for the roller. I jabbed him in the back with an elbow. "Ow."

He started covering the wall swiftly using the roller brush. Up and down his arm moved as I tried not to stare at the ripple of his forearm muscles. Baseball. _Which reminds me…_

"Hey, you probably shouldn't be doing that. You've got to rest your arm. I know it wasn't a full game but you've got the next one soon."

 _Oh crap, I brought up the game!_

"Trade with me," I said, offering him the trim brush.

He didn't look at me or even pause his sweeping strokes. "But this is the fun job."

"What kind of an excuse is that?" I demanded. Huffing I said, "Fine. It's not my problem. But make sure you do a good job."

We continued our bantering and working side by side until the late afternoon sun was making shadows on my new peachy walls.

"Hmm." I frowned, setting down my brush for the last time. "It's brighter than it looked in the can."

He had the audacity to laugh. I punched him. Then I laughed too. "Well, Sawako will like it. Did I ever tell you about her room? You'd be surprised…" I babbled on, happy remembering my friend and just being here with Ryu.

He put his brush on one of the trays and stood again, stretching backwards and massaging one of his arms.

"Should have saved some of those massage tokens," I teased.

"You could give me some more as payment," he suggested.

"You'd just use them all right now."

"Yup," he said, reaching to massage his other arm.

There was a silence that felt tense. I wanted to offer, I really did. I mean, just look at those shoulders! But touching him now…it would be too raw, too emotional. I couldn't do it.

"Well, thanks for your help," I said instead. I looked around proudly. "I like it."

A slight smile curved his lips. He looked kind of adorable with coral paint spatters all over his face and hair.

"You look tired. Go home." I told him.

He turned and started to leave but paused in the doorway, his back to me. "Chizuru. Just so you know, we were going over the scouting report for the next game."

Alarm shot through me. After all this time together, he'd gone and brought it up.

"S-sure. That's what I thought," I said quickly. Too quickly. _I am such a bad liar._

"Okay," he said. "Later." He disappeared down the stairs while I stood there in shock.

Why did he tell me that?

Despite the relief I felt when I heard his explanation, my mind replayed one thing over and over: how they blushed when they saw me. I didn't know how to reconcile his behavior today with what I saw yesterday. I just didn't have enough experience with relationships to understand what it all meant.

I needed Ayane.

o-o-o-o-o

I ran into Ryu as we were heading up to the classroom the next morning. "Good morning," I said on a yawn. "My right arm is sore in all kinds of places. I hope you're okay?"

"Yeah." After a couple steps he asked, "Are you coming to the game?"

The dugout scene flashed before my eyes. I kept my eyes trained on the floor as we walked. "I don't know…" I hedged. "Exams are coming up. I should probably start studying."

We reached the second floor and he stopped. I stopped too, and looked at him questioningly.

"You should come." My heart leapt at the way his dark eyes pierced mine.

I swallowed. "We'll see." I started walking again. "Might get rained out anyway."

We entered the classroom and I went straight to Ayane's desk. I waited for Ryu to move away to his seat before saying, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," she said in a 'so talk' tone.

"Not _here_." I looked over my shoulder at Ryu. He was laughing with some guys in the corner. "At lunch."

"Oh," she said. Then, following my stare, "Ohhhh. Okay. Good morning, Sawako."

I jumped when I saw the girl right next to me. "Aaagh! How long have you been standing there?"

"I'm sorry, Chizu-chan."

"No, don't worry about it," I said, returning to normal. "So, we can eat lunch outside then?"

Sawako nodded and Ayane agreed, adding, "If the rain holds off." We all looked out the window at the foreboding sky.

"I'm hungry already," I complained.

"Chizu-chan?" Sawako's breathy voice recalled my attention. "I made a study packet for you." She handed me a small notebook with neat handwriting on the front cover.

As I took it from her, my lips trembled and my vision blurred with tears. "Sa-waaaa!" I cried.


	21. Chapter 21

CHIZURU

The skies were still cloudy at lunchtime but since it was dry I herded Yano-chin and Sawako outside to our usual bench. As we settled in and opened our bentos, Ayane said, "Kazehaya never showed up today. Did he say anything to you, Sawako?"

"He had to cancel our date yesterday because he wasn't feeling well. I-I guess he's still sick today." She poked chopsticks at her food but didn't eat.

My appetite was fine. "Probably," I said and dug into my lunch with gusto.

Ayane asked, "Are you going to go visit him after school?"

Sawako looked puzzled. "Should I?"

Ayane's eyebrows lifted in surprise and she said, "That's what girlfriends do."

At this revelation, Sawako drew in her breath. Her eyes grew bright with tears. "I didn't know. I should have gone to see him yesterday. Oh, he must have been so unhappy."

Before the girl could completely fall apart Yano-chin and I were patting her on the shoulder and assuring her that today would be soon enough and he'd still be happy to see her and so on. When she'd pulled herself together, Ayane focused her attention on me.

"So, let's hear it."

I explained what I saw after the game and everything that happened yesterday with Ryu. "I just don't know what to think," I concluded. "Does he like her or doesn't he? Why did he bother to explain?"

Sawako's eyes had grown bigger and bigger as I talked. "Chizu-chan, I know I asked you this before, but, I'm sorry, I'm confused. Um, are you sure you don't have romantic feelings for Sanada-kun?"

I felt my face turning red and rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously. "Ah, well, actually…I do."

Now her eyes danced and she clasped her hands under her chin in sheer joy. "That's wonderful."

"Only if he likes me too," I grumbled. "He might like the little… Hiromi. What do you think, Yano-chin?" I asked desperately.

"It's hard to say. He's obviously concerned about you, enough to come over and check on you. And he didn't want you to have the wrong idea about what was happening, so that's good."

"It's good? Why is it good?" I asked excitedly, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking.

"Stop that." I quickly put my hands in my lap. "It's good because it _might_ mean he wants you to know he's not interested in Hiromi. And that _might_ mean he hopes you are interested in him. But then again he might just be afraid you're going to do something embarrassing if you think he likes her."

"This is confusing," I said. Sawako nodded, then jumped when I slammed my hand down on the bench.

Ayane twirled a lock of hair through her fingers, still musing. "But why did they blush when you walked in? That looks bad."

"Bad?! Bad why? Bad how?"

"Because even if nothing had happened yet, they might have been about to…well, anything. Confess their feelings for each other or he might have been about to kiss her..." My hands clenched into fists. _That little tart…_

"Chizuru, this is the way I see it," she said, squaring her shoulders. "You've never been afraid of a fight."

"No, of course not!" I scoffed.

"And if you're playing volleyball, you work your hardest to win, right?"

"Naturally."

"And if your soccer team's down by one, you don't give up; you fight harder, right?"

I pumped my fist in the air. "Yes!"

"So are you gonna let some pansy girl win without putting up a fight?"

"Huh?"

Slowly, understanding dawned. Yano-chin grew quieter as she said, "We don't know if he likes Hiromi or not. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. And maybe," she drew out the thought, "he hasn't decided. Maybe he's waiting to see if someone better is out there. Maybe he's trying to figure out if he has a chance with you."

Sawako nodded vigorously at that.

"So are you going to leave him at the mercy of that schemer?"

"No."

"Are you going to step back and say, 'Sure, he's all yours'?"

"No!"

"Of course, you're not! Didn't you beat ninety-nine guys in middle school?"

"Yes!"

"So are you going to fight for what you want?"

"Yes!"

Sawako bobbed her head encouragingly.

"You're going to go back in that classroom and convince him you're the one he wants."

"Yes!" More head bobs.

"And you're going to do whatever it takes to win his heart."

"Ye-ss."

"And you're going to tell him in no uncertain terms exactly how you feel!"

"Y- No." I slumped down.

"Chizu, it's the only way he'll know. He's not… he won't figure it out otherwise."

I picked at the hem of my skirt.

Sawako's voice surprised me. "I had to tell Sh-Shota how I felt. I was really embarrassed, so it was hard, but I had to let him know. It was the only way to clear up our misunderstanding."

"Sawako's right," Ayane confirmed. "And look how well that turned out." They beamed at one another.

"If she could do it, so can you," Ayane encouraged.

I tried to picture it and couldn't. They waited. "I don't know if I can." Ayane opened her mouth but I rushed on. "But I'll try, okay? I can't say when, but I'll try to find a good time. That's all I can promise."

"In the mean time," I smiled evilly. "It's on."

"That's my girl," Yano-chin smiled.

When we got back to the classroom I went straight to where Ryu was sleeping on his desk. I thumped both hands down and leaned into them as I waited for him to sit up. "I'm coming to your game, so look for me, okay?" He stared at me blankly. "I'll be the one in the lucky red shirt." I grinned cheekily.

An answering smile crept over his face. Satisfied, I swaggered back to my seat. _That felt good._

By the time school finished, it was starting to sprinkle. I saw Ryu making his way down the aisle between desks and stepped in front of him.

"Is the game still on with the rain and all?"

I could barely see his eyes under the baseball cap he'd already donned. "Should be. They'll only call it for thunder or if it really pours."

"Well, good luck then! I'll be the loudest one in the cheering section," I assured him.

His shoulders lifted in a half-chuckle and he pushed past me.

 _Fight, Chizu!_ "I'll wait for you afterward," I called to his back. He froze. Barely turning his head, he gave me a nod and left the room. As his athletic bag disappeared through the doorway I noticed a red amulet swinging from the zipper.

"Well done," Ayane purred.

"Thanks, Yano-chin." Tears pooled in my eyes. "For everything."

"Stop it, stop it," she waved at me. "You cry too easily."

We spotted Sawako looking at her phone uneasily. "Whatcha doing, Sawa?" I asked as we approached her.

"I want to be a good girlfriend and visit Shota. Should I call to tell him I'm coming? But what if he's sleeping and I wake him up?"

Yano-chin butted in. "Don't call. He'll just tell you not to come."

"But if he doesn't want me to…"

"Oh, he wants you to. He'll just say that to be nice."

"Oh, I see. Yes, he would probably do that." She took a fortifying breath and exhaled, her slender shoulders rising and falling. "Okay. I'm going right now."

"Be sure to get any handouts he missed today," Ayane suggested. "His mom will like that." Sawako nodded and headed for the door.

"Yano-chin, you're kind of scary," I said in awe. She raised her eyebrows at me. "Hey, I'm just glad you're on _my_ side."

As we packed up our bags I asked, "Are you coming to the game with me?"

She looked out the window at the cruddy weather. "Not today. I'll come to the next one, okay?"

"Okay. I guess I'll go to the library and study until game time." I remembered the new study packet Sawako had given me. Her notes were excellent, but her crappy motivational drawings…that's what had me smiling.


	22. Chapter 22

KAZEHAYA

I was lying on the couch watching TV when the doorbell rang. Mom had been babying me ever since I came down with this cold a couple days ago, so I let her answer it.

I heard the door opening and then a familiar voice. "Um, is Kazehaya-kun here?"

I flailed wildly. The blanket that had been covering me went flying. I muted the television and heard my mom's answer. "He is, but he's not feeling well. Can I help you?"

 _Oh, geez, Mom, don't send her away!_

"My name is Kuronuma Sawako. I…"

"Oh!" Mom's voice brightened. "Sawako-chan. Touta's told me all about you." _That little rat._

"Um, I brought some notes from class. I-I was hoping to check on Kazehaya-kun, but… Is he very ill?" Her voice trembled. I could picture her anxious expression, the tears glistening in her eyes.

It must have worked on Mom, because her voice was kind as she said, "Oh, it's not as bad as all that. Here, come in and see for yourself."

I sat up quickly and scooted back toward the arm of the couch, propping myself against the pillow behind me. _Wait, what am I wearing anyway? Ack! Boxer shorts!_ I tucked the blanket tightly around my legs. _Did I brush my teeth today?! Yes! Yes, I did! But, oh no, I never took a shower!_

Mom emerged from the hallway first. She was wearing a smirk, and mischief laced her tone as she said, "You have a visitor."

As she stepped aside, Sawako entered warily. At the sight of her, I felt that familiar rush of affection. I guess my face showed it, because I saw Mom's startled expression before she turned away. "I'll make some tea."

She left the room and Sawako came to stand before me, kneading her hands. "Hi," I said warmly.

"Hi," she echoed, kneeling in front of the sofa. Concern showed in her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," I said, hoping to alleviate some of her worry. I noticed her eyes kept traveling up to my hair. "Got some bedhead," I joked, blushing as I tried to smooth my hair into some semblance of normal.

This earned me a smile. "I brought a few things," she said, reaching into her school bag. "Here are the handouts for today." She set them on the low table next to her and began rustling in a convenience store bag. "And I got you some juice with Vitamin C. This is the flavor you like, right?"

I nodded as she handed it to me. _She remembered that?_

"And here are some pain reliever pills, if you need them." She set them on the table. "Do you have a fever?" She turned her sweet brown eyes on me and I got lost in them for a minute.

She began to blush at my stare, so I said, "Uh, what was that again?"

She repeated the question.

"Oh. I had one yesterday but, like I said, I'm feeling much better today."

She placed one small hand against my forehead, and my heart went all gooey. For that short moment, all the kindness and sweetness and caring that defined her personality were focused completely on me. It rendered me defenseless.

"You seem a little warm," she said, withdrawing her hand. I was tempted to grab it, but she was rummaging in her bag again.

She pulled out a cooling bandage and said, "This might help. Would it be okay…" She looked down shyly, waiting for my assent.

The memory of her attending to Pin flashed through my mind. I liked having her ministrations directed at me instead. I smiled. "Sure."

Carefully she exposed the adhesive and kneeled up so she could reach my forehead. Her face drew close to mine as she leaned in, and my eyes fell to her lips. I sat perfectly still, feeling the inches between us and fighting the urge to kiss her right now, here, in my living room, when my mom could walk in at any moment. Gently, she brushed my bangs aside and pressed the strip of cloth across my brow, smoothing it with her thumbs. As she pulled away, she allowed one hand to trail down my temple and caress my cheek. I was surprised at her boldness and at how very much it made me feel loved.

I caught her hand and brought it to my side. Our fingers interlaced, and we gazed happily at each other. "Thanks for coming to see me," I said finally.

"I'm sorry I didn't come yesterday. I didn't know that's what girlfriends do."

"Who told you that?"

"Ayane-chan."

I chuckled. "It's not a rule or anything, Sawako. You didn't have to come." She looked distressed. "But I'm glad you did." I gave her a winning grin and was pleased to see her face relax into an answering smile.

From the doorway, I heard Mom clear her throat. _I wonder how long she's been standing there,_ I thought wryly.

"I brought some tea," she announced. As she approached the table, Sawako tried to tug her hand away but I held on tight. She turned a little pink and cast panicked looks between my mom and me.

Mom placed cups on the table next to Sawako, looking pointedly at our joined hands and raising her eyebrows at me. "Yes, Mom," I said with an air of the martyr. "She's my girlfriend." I felt a little tinge of embarrassment at admitting it so bluntly.

She took a seat in the nearby chair and beamed a wide grin at us, her eyes disappearing just like mine do. "Thank goodness, you got that out in the open. The tension was killing me." She took a sip. "Sawako-chan, you might need to help Shota with his tea." Another impish look.

Mercifully oblivious to Mom's scheming, Sawako handed the cup to me. "Thank you." She still looked shell-shocked, so I gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. "Mom's been bugging me to get a girlfriend for years."

"I was beginning to think he was a hopeless case," Mom laughed.

"Oh, no," Sawako decried. Her long hair danced in waves as she quickly turned her head to address my mother. "Shota is very popular." I noticed she'd used my name without thinking.

"Is he, now?" Mom's eyes danced with mischief as she glanced at me again. "And when did you two meet?"

"Last year," I said while Sawako said, "At high school orientation."

"I see," Mom said, no doubt seeing the situation all too clearly.

Mom deftly disarmed Sawako and found out more about her in half an hour than I had in the first year I'd known her. Sawako was always polite around adults, but soon she was responding easily to Mom's questions. Before long, Mom was pulling out photo albums and the two crowded on the couch with me, smiling and laughing while I groaned and protested and desperately tried to keep my lower half covered by the blanket.

Touta showed up in the middle of this. "Kuronuma-san!" He seemed genuinely delighted to see her. He dropped his things in the middle of the floor and dashed out again.

Sawako cocked her head curiously while Mom reprimanded him, "Touta!"

"Honestly," she leaned into Sawako like she was sharing a secret, "Why God gave me boys I'll never know."

Sawako defended me. "But they are very nice boys."

Mom's smile was soft. I could tell she'd been won over. We were interrupted by frantic yipping and a wiggling ball of white fur. Touta came panting after it.

"Maru-chan!" Sawako cried. Her eyes shone and she reached for him. This time he obliged her and allowed her to snuggle him close.

 _Lucky mutt._


	23. Chapter 23

CHIZURU

Mom had forced me to bring an umbrella 'just in case.' I huddled under it, seated on the nearly deserted bleachers since the hill was doing a great impression of a waterfall. The sprinkles had turned to a steady drizzle and I wondered what the heck it would take for these idiots to call the game already.

Both teams were struggling. Pitches went wild, hits popped up, and bunts rolled to an early stop in the wet clay. I was pretty well soaked, because I'd dropped the umbrella when I had to scream at an umpire for calling someone safe even after they nearly broke Ryu's leg sliding home. I had a terrible clutching feeling in my chest until he slowly stood and I saw him walk without trouble.

I did cheer, especially when Ryu was up to bat. He managed to get a double and bring in a run once, but all in all, the game was a disaster. It wasn't that the other team was better; they just seemed to get all the breaks. As the innings wound down, I felt dread settling in my stomach.

In the end, we lost by a single run, which was almost worse than getting blown out. The other team celebrated, clearly not expecting the win. Depressed, I slogged my way over to the vending machines to kill time while I waited for Ryu to shower.

I held the umbrella over my head as I waited near the trees outside the locker room, watching as the dejected players left. Eventually Pin emerged, and although I was reluctant to engage him in conversation, it seemed like he might be the last one out.

"Pin," I called through the rain. "Is Ryu still in there?"

He startled at my sudden interjection. Peering more closely to learn who was addressing him, he scowled when he recognized me. "You," he growled. "Lotta good it does to have you here. Where's your friend?"

"Who?" He wasn't making sense.

"The scary one."

"Sawako-chan?"

"Yeah, that's right, Sadako."

"Ahh, I think she went to see Kazehaya since he was out sick today."

"Shota." He murmured his name like an imprecation. "Well, you can tell those two that I'm going to make their life hell."

"Whaa…"

"It's their fault we lost today. Where was she when we needed her blessing? Where? Where!? Off with Shotaaaa…"

"Pin!" I was getting tired of his insanity. "Is Ryu still in the locker room?"

"Huh? Oh, I haven't seen him since the game ended." His face went sour again.

 _Strange. Oh, no. He's not with…_ "How about Hiromi? Has she gone home yet?"

"Hiromi? She was at another game…scouting. Lotta good that'll do now." As an afterthought he whispered, "Sadako…"

"Whatever." I started walking and he trudged away, still mumbling indecent things about Kazehaya.

I could only think of one place to look for Ryu before giving up. At least I knew I didn't have to worry about finding Hiromi there with him.

Sure enough, he was still in the dugout, alone. He was seated on the bench, leaning back against the concrete wall, his eyes shadowed by the baseball cap he wore pulled down low. He glanced at me as I entered, then returned to staring blankly at the sodden infield.

Silently I took a seat next to him and waited. Saying things like, 'There's always next year' or 'it was a good game' are always kind of stupid I think.

"I wanted to go to Koshien," he said finally.

"I know." We sat there staring out at the rain sparkling under the floodlights. Time passed, but he didn't make a move to leave. "We were so close."

"Sucks," I agreed.

He stretched forward to pick up a ball from the ground and rested his forearms on his thighs, his head hanging. He watched the ball turning over and over in his hands.

I had a thought. "Want me to cheer you up?" I offered, referring to the many times he'd teasingly offered the same to me.

And the one time I took him up on it.

He didn't sit up but spared me a sideways glance. "Sure." He returned to his perusal of the baseball.

Tentatively I wrapped my arms around his still hunched-over body. Clasping my hands as they met, I rested my cheek on his back. I thought I heard his heartbeat, but I must have been wrong; his heart wouldn't be drumming so rapidly.

My eyes closed as I settled in and just held him. His tunic was damp against my arms and he smelled of clay and leather and sweat.

I felt his body expand and contract with each even breath. It was peaceful, in a sad sort of way.

Poor Ryu. To be so close and then have your dream snatched away for another whole year! Awkwardly, I patted his back with one hand.

I felt him twitch. His breath seemed to catch.

Oh, no! Could he be crying? Poor Ryu! I patted his back some more. The twitches grew more violent and his shoulders were shaking now, causing me to lift my head. Man, he must really be bawling. I didn't want to embarrass him by staring though, so I kind of hovered there.

He made a sort of half-choking, half-snorting sound and finally exploded into laughter.

 _Wait…laughter?_

I released him and leaned away to take a look. Yup, a broad grin stretched his stupid mouth and his eyes danced with merriment.

Irritation swept over me and I whacked his arm. "You jerk!"

"Ow-how-how," he protested, laughing again.

I stood abruptly. "I'm out of here." I ducked through the doorway and began to follow the fence toward the exit.

"Chizuru, wait!" I stopped and shot him a glare. He slung his athletic bag over his shoulder as he loped toward me. As we took off, I opened the umbrella and made a point to hold it over myself alone. I left him at the mercy of the elements for probably half a minute before guilt overcame my anger.

"Here," I said, lifting the umbrella so it covered us both. "You hold it." He took the handle without a word and I wrapped my arm through his, crowding close as we tried to share its scant protection.

When my wrath had subsided, I said, "Remember when we were at the park that time and it started raining and we hid under the hydrangea bushes?" We'd probably been around ten at the time.

He chuckled. "We decided to smear mud on our faces and pretend to be spies."

I laughed too. "Even when Tohru showed up and kept calling for us, we just sat there thinking we were spying on him."

"Pops was pretty mad when I came home all dirty and admitted I'd been there the whole time."

"Mom stripped me down right on the doorstep," I laughed. "She didn't even wash my clothes, just went right to the trash can and threw them out. I loved that shirt too," I added wistfully.

"You'd probably still be wearing it," he teased. I gave him a shove and was rewarded with a faceful of rain when the umbrella followed him. I hurried back underneath, pulling my school bag around front where it would be protected.

"Oh, that reminds me." I reached in one pocket of the bag and pulled out the power bar I'd bought earlier. I offered it to him.

"Thank you," he said, taking it from me and tearing at the wrapper with his teeth.

"Oh, geez, give me that," I huffed, realizing he couldn't open it with one hand busy holding the umbrella. I grabbed the bar and wiped the paper on my skirt before ripping it open. I handed it back to him.

"Thank you," he said again, offering me a grateful smile. My heart flipped.

I kept up a steady conversation as we walked, but I couldn't help bringing up some of the dramatic moments from the game. Then I'd remember he might be feeling sad about losing and all, so I'd sneak a peek to see how he was taking it. And every time he'd respond to my sympathetic look by bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

And he'd shake his head and chuckle some more.

"You're mental," I told him. He'd just look at me and smile.

So in the end I guess I did cheer him up.

When we reached his house, we stopped while he handed me the umbrella. He remained under it for a moment, looking down at his shoes and then back at me.

"Thanks," he said with a slight smile. He cupped my shoulder in one of his big hands and leaned in, placing a kiss on my cheek.

My face warmed in embarrassment and my heart raced. "G-go, take a bath before you catch cold," I stammered. He nodded and disappeared through the door.

My feet went on autopilot and carried me toward home. My stomach felt all swirly. Or was it my head that felt dizzy?

I raised a hand to my cheek. He'd never done anything like that before.

I didn't know what it meant, but what scared me was how incredibly happy it made me.


	24. Chapter 24

CHIZURU

Any awkwardness I might have felt at seeing Ryu the next morning was instantly forgotten when I entered the classroom and spotted Hiromi chatting with him. She looked too pixie perfect standing there close to my Ryu. Rage battled with despair as I fought for self-control. I wanted to take her out of the picture permanently. But short of violence, how could I hope to compete with her? Femininity was not my strong suit.

 _Fight, Chizuru!_ I reminded myself.

I walked up to them, calling as I approached. "Hiromi-chan! Haven't seen you in awhile. Oh, but you weren't at the game yesterday, were you?"

Her eyes glinted dangerously as she looked at me. But she transformed instantly to a sweet and compassionate angel when she turned back to Ryu. "I felt so terrible. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for not being there," she said dramatically, adding, "Not that I would've made much of a difference, really. You guys are all so talented, you don't even need me," she said slyly.

"No, you've been a big help." _Sigh. Just what she wanted you to say, idiot._ "Your scouting report was right on target; we just got a tough break."

My hand moved, reaching to give him a comforting pat on the back, but I halted in midair remembering his mirth last evening. He eyed me suspiciously.

Hiromi cut in. "I know what will cheer you up," she said brightly. I bristled at her word choice; cheering up Ryu was my job. "The summer festival is this weekend. We should go." She was only looking at Ryu. Trying to finagle a date right in front of me?

Through a red haze I heard Ryu agreeing. "Okay."

 _Oooo, someday I will make her pay_! But not today; today I'd have to fight like a girl.

"What a great idea!" I said loudly, pretending the invitation was for all three of us. "Kazehaya!" I called, seeing him from the corner of my eye. "Let's all go to the summer festival on Sunday."

"Sure," he said, coming closer. "Sounds fun." I noticed his eyes scanning the room. _Now who could he be looking for, I wonder? Heeheehee._

I began to describe all the things I hoped to do and eat at the festival, getting sincerely excited. I caught Hiromi giving me an assessing look. To anyone else, Ryu's face would have looked placid as usual, but I could tell he was a little disturbed by something.

The warning bell chimed and Hiromi interrupted my rambling. "I guess I should get to class. I'll text you for the details then," she said to Ryu. Turning in a swirl of skirts, she left the room. I exhaled a relieved sigh.

"What are you doing?" Ryu asked. His expression was wary.

"N-nothing." I huffed and turned away, heading for my seat.

o-o-o-o-o

It was late afternoon and the air was nearly stifling as I made my way to the festival meet-up location. I decided to swing by Ryu's place and see if he was ready so we could walk together.

Sliding open the restaurant door, I spotted Pops behind the bar.

"Chizu-chan!" He greeted enthusiastically. "How are you? Aren't you going to the festival?"

"Yup. Just stopped by to see if Ryu is ready. Is he upstairs?"

Pops looked puzzled. "Oh, he left a while back. I thought he was going to pick you up." He looked away. "Well, maybe I was confused."

I had a sinking feeling about whom he went to pick up.

"By the way, Chizu-chan. Are you going to work for me over summer break again?"

If Ryu and Hiromi started dating, it would be too hard for me to watch every day. _Soon I'll have lost all three of them,_ I thought sadly. _Tohru, Pops, and Ryu…my second family._

Pops's usual grin had melted into a worried expression. I pasted on a fake smile. "I hope so. I'll let you know soon, okay? See ya!" I was out the door before he could answer.

As I walked, my emotions swung back and forth like a pendulum. I was so angry at her, at him, at myself. Then I was despondent, thinking I was just a little too slow to catch on, as usual, and how much I would miss him and everything we almost had. Unfortunately, there were no convenient branches lying about this time so I could express my frustration.

I could hear the buzz of a crowd and the distant jangling of folk music as I approached the waterfront. Ahead of me, Sawako, Ekko, Ayane and Kazehaya waited by the statue as we'd agreed. Sawako looked adorable in one of her summer dresses. As I drew near, I saw Kento and Tsuru approaching from a side street.

"Hello, Chizu-chan," Sawako greeted me with a smile sweet enough to lift my spirits.

"Hi!" I addressed the group. Inhaling deeply I moaned, "Oh, I can smell the cotton candy from here."

"We're not late, are we?" Kento asked cheerfully as they joined us.

Yano-chin said archly, "If you were, we would have left you."

"Don't say that, Ayane-chan." With great flourish he placed one hand over his heart. "You'll hurt my feelings."

Kazehaya was muttering something about how he'd like to hurt a certain someone.

Yano-chin laughed at Kento's antics and said, "The only feelings you have are 'I'm hungry' and 'I'm bored.'"

"That's absolutely not true," he said. His tone said he was still teasing, but his eyes were on Ayane alone and he seemed to be communicating something to her.

Tsuru interrupted their banter. "If we're all here, can we go?"

"What about Ryu and Hiromi?" I blurted. I felt all their eyes on me. I quickly stammered out, "I mean, this was her idea after all. Has anybody heard from either of them?"

Kazehaya pulled a phone from his pocket but shrugged after checking it. "Last I knew Ryu was planning to meet up here with the rest of us. I guess we should wait a little longer."

"Oh, there they are," Kento said. We all followed his gaze to where Ryu was walking next to the cutest little thing I could have imagined. She'd worn a yukata, the little sneak. I was wearing a plain old tank top and shorts, with only my birthday bracelet and some heeled sandals to dress up the outfit. But Hiromi, well, she looked like a friggin doll.

And coming here together like that, well, they certainly looked like a couple on a date. My heart sank.

Ayane glanced at me uneasily. I sidled up to her while the guys greeted Ryu. "Stop it," I whispered.

"Fight," she whispered back.

"Hmph."

"This is going to be so fun!" Hiromi declared with all possible cuteness. She led us toward the noise.


	25. Chapter 25

CHIZURU

The summer festival was always a feast for the senses. Colorful booths lined the wide avenue in front of the sea wall. You could see the amber-tinted ocean as you walked from one to the next. Delicious smells emanated from some of the stalls, while others hosted noisy carnival games or sold items crafted by local artisans. Folk dancers performed on a stage further down, and there were even a few rides set up in a lot across from the warehouses by the pier. With the sun sinking quickly, the paper lanterns connecting the stalls would be lit pretty soon, bathing the area in pools of color.

We stopped every few minutes so somebody could purchase his or her favored treat and we all tried our luck at the fishing game. Kazehaya was the only winner, but he insisted Sawako choose the prize. She was so embarrassed that her face looked like a tomato, but he patiently waited for her while we all moved on to the next booth.

"Ooohh! I haven't tried this since I was a kid!" Hiromi cried, tugging on Ryu's shirt. _Grrrrr._

It was the classic goldfish-scooping game. A couple kids were playing at it already. As Hiromi paid for her turn I stepped up beside her. She shot an irritated glance in my direction. I ignored it and got a net for myself. When the children cleared out, the two of us knelt before the goldfish pool.

I kept my eye on the colorful fish. Hiromi splashed away next to me. Her excited voice called to the others. "Look, I got one!"

I steeled my resolve. Just as her congratulations were dying down I called out. "Hey! I got two!" I stood up and gave her a smug look. Oh, she was annoyed all right, but tried to hide it. The shopkeeper bagged up Hiromi's pet. When he turned to me, I said, "Actually, can I just put them back? I'm not very good at taking care of them. Last time I tried this, they were dead within a week."

I heard a low chuckle behind me and caught Ryu's amused expression. No doubt he remembered the sorry incident.

The next game up for grabs was a ring toss. Somehow I ended up side by side with Hiromi. I punched the air and whooped when I scored a five-pointer. Hiromi soon celebrated as well. "Ten points for me!" _Grrrr._

Back and forth we went as we engaged in every contest we could find. Sawako wanted to see the folk dances, so after a while she and Kazehaya headed over to the performance area. The rest of us continued on, finally nearing the section that had rides. Their gaudy lights of every color looked festive in the darkness.

"Oh, that's my all-time favorite!" Ekko declared, pointing to a popular spinning ride.

"Yeah," Ayane seconded. "I like that one too." She was already opening her change purse.

Kento and Tsuru were agreeing, but I knew Ryu didn't have the stomach for spinning rides. There was no way I'd let myself be paired up with Hiromi on it and definitely no chance I would leave her to sit it out alone with Ryu. "I'll pass," I said.

Hiromi pretended to adjust her clothing while she waited for Ryu's verdict.

"Me too," he told the group. "That kind of ride makes me puke." The guys laughed.

"I think I'll wait as well," Hiromi said. "I want to stop by the candy stall."

As the foursome headed for the ride we could hear Kento's teasing. "Ayane-chan, is there any chance you'll get sick? 'Cause if you might, I suggest you ride with Tsuru here. He's a true gentleman and won't mind at all…" The sound of Tsuru's protest faded into the crowd.

Hiromi was already headed in the direction of the candy stall. "Help me choose, Ryu," she said, pulling on his wrist. I was seriously about to karate chop her hand off him when I spotted a favorite game.

Without thinking I blurted out, "Hey, Ryu, look! The dart game!" It had been our game of choice in our younger days. I wondered idly when it was we'd stopped coming to the summer festival. Probably when Tohru started bringing dates and leaving us home.

Ryu's smile no doubt mirrored mine; he was already heading for the booth. Hiromi trailed behind, looking put out but not ready to give up. We all purchased enough darts for several tries and lined up to try our luck—with Ryu in the middle of course. The board held balloons of every hue, and you had to pop three to win even the smallest prize. Ryu had a weird habit of trying to hit balloons that shared the same color, so his shots were all over the place and he only managed to hit one.

Hiromi and I were more careful, and each had two balloons popped when our last try came around. From the corner of my eye, I could see where she was aiming—at the easy spot directly across from her where most of the neighboring balloons were already cleared out. I gritted my teeth and aimed carefully. My dart hit the target a few seconds before hers, popping the balloon and rendering her shot useless.

"Whooo! I win!" I thumped Ryu on the back "Did ya see that?" I asked proudly.

"Ow," he complained.

I was about to boast about my prize when Hiromi cut across us both. In a caustic tone she hissed, "That's it. I'm going home." She spun around and tramped off into the crowd as fast as her little yukata-clad legs could move.

"Hiromi," Ryu called after her. She didn't even hesitate. Didn't look back. He exhaled a weighty sigh as we watched her disappear into the crowd.

Suddenly I felt terrible. I should have been ecstatic to be rid of her, but instead I just felt ashamed of myself. Tears stung the corners of my eyes and I wanted to run away, to escape the memories of my outlandish, jealous behavior tonight. I whipped around and began striding briskly back toward the rides. I realized a major torrent was coming, so I ducked into an alley between warehouses where I could hide my breakdown in the shadows.

I heard someone follow me and looked back to make sure it wasn't a stalker or something. But of course, it was just Ryu.

I stopped and rested my back against the rough concrete wall, my head hanging. I wiped tears away. "I'm sorry," I said mournfully. "I'll stop acting like an idiot now, I promise."

He just stood there, watching me impassively. I swallowed hard and steeled myself for what had to come next. "You should probably go after her."

He shifted from one foot to another. Instead of leaving, he mirrored my position, leaning up against the building as well. We were shoulder to shoulder, but it felt like a wall separated us.

He grunted and kicked at the gravel under our feet. When he spoke, his voice had a bitter edge. "So you don't want me, but I'm not allowed to date anyone else, is that it?"

I stared at my hands, turning the beads on my bracelet round and round. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and slid down my face. In a small voice I answered him. "I never said I didn't want you."

He seemed to stiffen at my side. "What?"

I realized it had slipped out, but I didn't care anymore. He deserved to know. "I never said I didn't want you," I repeated. Then a sob choked me and it all came tumbling out, a flood of words and tears mixed together. "I'm so stupid. I didn't realize until it was too late. All this time, all this time, I've been in love with you." Distantly I heard him gasp. "And I didn't even know it! And now you're in love with Hiromi, and it's just too la-a-ate." I ended on a sob, clutching his shirtfront and burying my face in his chest.

I wept against his damp t-shirt, the loss overwhelming.

His arms went around me and I wanted to die from how wonderful it felt. "Chizuru." His warm voice was right next to my ear. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember." A kind of hopeless chuckle escaped and he said, "I wouldn't even know how to love anyone else."

A stunned blankness swept through me. "Wh-what?" I sniffed and tried to pull back so I could see his face. He locked his hands behind my waist, preventing my escape. I could just raise my face to his.

"You heard me," he said. His dark eyes were serious.

"You…" _love me?_

"Yes, you dummy," he said with some exasperation. With a frustrated sigh, he dropped his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes. _I can't believe it. Ryu loves me._

"Did you mean it?" he asked apprehensively. "What you said."

I knew what he was asking, knew that—of the two of us—he had the biggest chasm of disbelief to cross. I'd scorned his confession, chased after Tohru in front of him for years. But he loved me, and all of a sudden I couldn't wait to give him the gift he'd given me…the warm rush of happiness that was exploding inside me.

"Ryu, I can't believe this." He lifted his head, mutely asking for an explanation. I released my death grip on his t-shirt and cupped both sides of his jaw in my hands. My eyes caressed every inch of his precious face. Surprise and wonder filled my voice as I breathed, "I'm really in love with you."

I felt a huge smile begin to pull at the corners of my mouth. I was so happy; surely I was glowing.

Ryu was still in shock I think.

A self-conscious chuckle escaped my throat. "It's weird, isn't it?" I asked.

"No," he said suddenly. "No, it's not." His eyes searched mine, seeking confirmation of my jumbled confession. I watched as his stern expression faded and the most beautiful smile crept over his lips. His eyes were teasing as he said, "It's about time."

I chuckled in agreement. "For once, I'll admit you're right." We stood there grinning at each other like idiots.

Then I had one of those moments, and I became aware of how we were almost nose to nose and how if I just pulled his face a little bit closer….

So I did.

I felt the inadvertent brush of our lips, but he didn't kiss me right away; he hovered there, sharing my breath…waiting for me still. I closed the distance between us. His lips felt plump, yielding as I pressed closer. My world collapsed into a few inches of sensation, every nerve ending focused on his touch, his taste, the warmth of his breath, the slight scratch of his stubble.

We moved tentatively, both of us new to this experience. It was my first kiss. And his. And ours.

As one slow kiss gave way to another, I let go of his face and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled him closer, melting against him as we savored an intimacy we hadn't dared imagine. I wasn't afraid anymore. I was filled with joy and wonder and a sweetness so intense it made my heart pound.

I'm not sure how much time had passed when a loud group walked by the alley, their voices jolting us apart. I released my stranglehold on his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. I was a little too embarrassed to look him in the eye right at that moment.

His arms still encircled me. "What should we do now?" he asked against my hair. "Should we find everyone else?"

"Mmmm…let's find a good spot to watch the fireworks," I said, regaining my composure and taking a step back. He released me. "I'll text Ayane in a little while. Oh! And I want to get some ice cream," I said, my usual buoyancy returning.

"Didn't you have ice cream earlier?" he asked as we made for the main avenue again.

"Yes, but I was sharing with Ayane and she ate all the chocolate." I wrapped my arm through his, keeping him close. "And don't think I'm gonna share with you," I added with spirit. "You can get your own."

He laughed. I liked the carefree sound of it.


	26. Chapter 26

KAZEHAYA

Sawako enjoyed watching the folk dancing, and I enjoyed watching her. I often thought that spending so much time alone before high school was what taught her to find pleasure in even the simplest things.

But then, her parents also seemed to radiate contentment. I'd convinced her I ought to meet them since this was really our third date, and I was starting to feel kind of disrespectful not picking her up properly. Since she'd met my mom the other day, she eventually had to agree.

 _As I turned the corner that led to Sawako's block, I tried to prepare myself. Would her mother be scary-looking? Overly shy as well? Would her father be overbearing, cowing his women into submission? I tried not to assume the worst, but my nerves were shot. I asked myself a hundred times why I had insisted on this, but always Sawako's face came to mind. I wanted to do things right with her, and respecting her parents was a part of that._

 _I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Sawako answered it almost instantly._

 _At the sight of her, happiness and affection overwhelmed my fears. "Hi," I greeted her with a sincere smile._

" _Hello. Kazehaya-kun." Her demeanor was wooden. "Won't you…please…come in?"_

" _Sure. I'd love to." Okay, that was a stretch, but I'd do anything to ease her distress. She took a step back and I joined her in the entryway._

 _Her parents hovered only steps away in the small dining area. Her mom was ordinary-looking, but her smile was bright, her face open. Her father was of slight build, not even as tall as me, and seemed to be struggling to hold back tears. Their home was simply furnished, orderly without being fussy._

" _Mom, Dad," Sawako began the introductions with a straight face. "This is… Kazehaya Shota."_

 _I offered a polite bow, saying, "I'm very pleased to meet you." Despite my outward show of confidence, I could feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest._

 _Sawako's mom was relaxed and chatty, reminiscing happily about the festival, but she had to expend a lot of effort keeping her sagging husband upright. The second time he asked Sawako 'and you'll be home by ten?' I decided to move things along. Looking rather obviously at my watch I said, "Well, we'd better get going. We're supposed to meet up with our friends soon." Hopefully it would make them feel better knowing we weren't going to spend the entire evening alone. "It was very nice meeting you." Sawako was side-stepping her way toward the door._

" _Have a nice time," her mom called cheerfully. Her dad seemed to whimper, and as the door closed his wife was consoling him. "Isn't it wonderful that she has such good friends now, and even a cute little boyfriend…."_

When the performance ended I asked Sawako, "What would you like to do next?" I took her hand as we waded through the dispersing crowd.

She shrugged. "I don't care. I'm having a wonderful time."

We strolled past the booths. Occasionally I pointed out something funny; she exclaimed over things she found especially beautiful. We each got an ice cream and bought a bag of cotton candy to share later. Sawako texted Yoshida and Yano and learned that Yano and her group had gotten separated from Ryu, Hiromi and Yoshida and hadn't heard from them. She suggested we try to meet up at the bridge to watch the fireworks display.

Since we were at the opposite end of the waterfront, we decided to save time by cutting behind the booths and following the less crowded route along the sea wall. The sounds of the festival were only a block away, but this area was quieter, mostly deserted, and lit only by the moon and an occasional street lamp.

"I wonder what happened to the others?" Sawako said with concern.

"Hmm." I had a bad feeling about Ryu being left alone with those two. Hiromi seemed to have designs on him and Yoshida had been acting strange of late. "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, sorry. I'm glad I got to meet your parents tonight. Thanks for letting me come get you. Now I'm official." I grinned at her.

But her attention was fixed on something else. Following her gaze, I spotted a couple seated on the pier we were passing. The girl was chatting with animation, waving her arms about. She broke into boisterous laughter that sounded just like…

"Is that Chizu-chan and Sanada-kun?" Sawako asked.

"Yeah, I think you're right." I was just opening my mouth to call out when I saw something incredible. The guy, who sure looked a lot like Ryu, grabbed one of the girl's gesturing hands and pulled her closer. The girl, clearly Yoshida now that I saw her profile, leaned in willingly and the two engaged in a lingering kiss that sent heat through my whole body.

Sawako inhaled sharply while I muttered, "Oh my gosh! That… I did not just see…" I tried again. "Do you really think that's them?" I asked Sawako in disbelief.

She was looking at the ground, her face hidden behind shimmering curtains of hair. Probably as embarrassed as I was.

We kept walking as I processed the thoughts and emotions coming at me in rapid succession. In some ways, I wasn't surprised to see Ryu and Yoshida end up as a couple. Ever since Tohru's engagement they'd been drifting in that direction. Whether or not they noticed, it was obvious they were becoming more than childhood buddies. And then of course he had confessed he liked her that day after school. I'd been preoccupied with my own new relationship and hadn't paid much mind.

I was deeply happy for them.

But part of me was envious. They'd just gotten together—tonight apparently—and yet they shared a kiss that.. well, wow. I was disappointed that I couldn't be that free with Sawako. Not yet. Probably not for a long time.

I sighed and reminded myself to be patient. It was enough, having her by my side, knowing she cared for me in this overwhelming way I cared for her.

Lost in thought as I was, it took me a moment to notice Sawako had stopped walking. Her hand still held mine, tugging me to a halt. She was a couple steps behind me, so I turned to see what had her attention now.

The scene was familiar, and it set my heart racing. Under a dark sky studded with stars, she stood like a perfect statue. Her eyes were closed, her porcelain skin luminous in the moonlight.

Did she remember? Did she know what she was doing? What it would mean to me?

She held her pose, looking peaceful and so achingly beautiful. Then I noticed that her free hand trembled slightly and her cheeks were tinged with color.

She did know. She did!

My doubts erased, I bent over her, my eyes fixed on that kissable mouth. In slow motion I touched my lips to hers, my eyes drifting closed as I surrendered to the waves of emotion and sensation. I felt the slight pressure of her returning the kiss, and then I reluctantly pulled away, determined not to ask more than she was offering.

She caught the side of my shirt, not allowing me to put distance between us. Looking imploringly up at me with those sparkling eyes, she asked tremulously, "It's the same, right? We feel the same."

All this time I was only thinking of what I wanted, assuming she was on a different plane or something. But she was hoping and wanting and hesitant to offend just like I was. And yet she acted on the truth we had already learned: that no matter how shy or awkward our interaction, in our hearts we felt the same.

I chuckled. "Definitely." I reached a hand to cup her jaw, my thumb caressing her velvet cheek. She stretched toward me on tiptoes and I eagerly found her warm lips again.

Too soon the crackle of fireworks interrupted our reverie. Somewhere along the way we'd ended up in an embrace. I shifted around a bit to keep Sawako tucked under one arm while still allowing her a view of the colorful display. My eyes were on the show but my mind was replaying our kisses. I'd surely have sweet dreams tonight.

If I ever managed to fall asleep, that is.

"So pretty!" Sawako breathed.

Her delighted expression was lit up in flashes of red, gold, silver. "Mm-hmm." I pressed a kiss to her temple.

o-o-o-o-o

At school the next morning, I waited outside until Sawako joined me. My heart hummed as I remembered the sweet text message I'd received last night: _Shota, I had a wonderful time, thank you. I love you. Goodnight._

As soon as we entered the classroom, Yoshida and Yano attacked.

"Good morning, Kazehaya." Yano's singsong greeting was delivered with a sly look and a not very hidden message. _Oh, great. Sawako must have texted them too._

Yoshida jumped in next. "Did you have a good time at the festival?" she asked, elbowing my ribs repeatedly.

I felt my face flush, sending them into peals of laughter. I didn't dare check on Sawako.

I struck back without thinking. "Cut it out." Looking at Yoshida I said, "Why don't you tell us what happened after you and Ryu disappeared last night?"

That shut her up. Her mouth dropped open and shock covered her face. Just as quickly she blushed like crazy, looking toward Sawako in confusion.

I answered her unspoken accusation. "She didn't say anything. We saw you." I'd calmed down a bit now that the attention was focused on someone else. "So are you guys dating now?"

"Errr…"

Ryu's deep voice came from behind me. "Yeah."

Yoshida's eyes darted over my shoulder. She looked surprised that he'd come to her rescue. Her features relaxed and she put a hand to the back of her neck in a nervous gesture. With a self-conscious laugh she said, "Yeah. I guess we are."

"Heh," Ryu chuckled. I backed up a step to catch his eye and grinned. "I'm glad."

Kento's sighing voice came from behind us both. "Ah, lovers are always happy to find other fools in love."

I clenched a fist.

Mercifully Yano took him on first. "What would you know about it?" He continued past us to engage her.

"Ayane-chan," he said with mock chagrin. "I haven't told you my epic love story yet?"

"Don't call me that," she said without any real conviction. It was easy to see that her curiosity was aroused.

"Well, let's see," he began dramatically. "I was eight years old, and she was six.…"

Yano growled and whacked his arm. As he laughed and protested, I followed Sawako to her seat.

Our torment was over for the time being, but as class started Kento raised his hand. Without waiting for Pin to call on him, he stood and said, "I have an important announcement. Most of you probably remember the excellent cram session Sadako-chan gave us before exams last semester." _Ohhhh, he is not about to…_ "Well, I'm sure we're all hoping she'll give another one soon." He looked expectantly at the seat next to him. Sawako's eyes were wide, but she was clearly inclined to oblige her "sensei." She nodded a couple times.

"Great!" he enthused. "Sooo… tomorrow?" he cocked his head and she nodded again. "…Tomorrow afternoon she will be here to offer tutoring for anyone who wants to come." He began to sit, but stood again. "Oh, and in case you've been wondering," he said straight-faced, "Sanada-kun and Yoshida-chan are officially going out now."


	27. Chapter 27

CHIZURU

Things with Ryu were mostly the same as they'd been for years, and yet everything was completely changed. He still teased me, and I still hit him a little too hard sometimes. Most days we walked home companionably—it's not like we had a whole lot new to learn about each other—but other days we spent time with our friends as we always had. Even when we were out with a group we enjoyed the time with everyone, not needing to sit together all the time or anything.

But at the same time, I no longer took him for granted. It made me feel happy, somehow more alive, just to have him nearby.

Sawako put a finger on it at lunch one day…

" _Chizu," Ayane said, "are you using a different makeup lately?"_

" _No, I hardly ever put on makeup."_

 _She examined my face closely. "Huh. Did you get your hair highlighted?"_

" _No!" I ran one hand through it self-consciously. Ayane continued to stare at me, perplexed._

" _She's a maiden in love," Sawako breathed. Her eyes sparkled happily for me._

 _I was about to scoff when Ayane jumped in. "Sawako, you're right! That's exactly it!"_

 _And she wasn't joking. I felt my face turning red. "You guys are so full of it…"_

But I think they saw some sort of outward manifestation of the happiness I felt inside. It made me feel like I was sparkling. Maybe I was.

It was only a few days after the festival that I decided to stop in at Ryu's place and get some ramen. As he slid the door open, I spied Pops wiping down a table. "Hiya, Pops!" I greeted as we entered. "Will you give me a discount if I promise to work here over summer break?"

"You know I can't say no to you, Chizu-chan," he answered with a smile. Ryu waited at the foot of the stairs while I hopped on a stool and Pops headed to the bar to take my order.

"Hey, Dad," he said. "Chizuru and I are dating now."

I blushed like crazy. Leave it to Ryu to just blab it out like that. But then, his cheeks wore an uncharacteristic pink tinge as well.

"Eh? Oh! That's great!" Pops seemed genuinely pleased. "It's about time." My jaw dropped. Like father, like son, I guess.

The scene at school hadn't changed much either, despite Kento's awkward and extremely embarrassing announcement. People were used to seeing Ryu and me arrive together, hang out together, or leave together, and since we avoided PDA for all our sakes, things didn't look a whole lot different to our classmates.

The difference was inside me. If Ryu was in sight, I felt an invisible pull toward him. And it was like whenever I laid eyes on him, my heart said, 'Awww.' If I weren't so in love and all, I'd be pretty sickened by my own sappiness.

Hiromi didn't show her face in our classroom again. Whether it was Ryu's ambivalence or my annoying interference or she just got tired of the whole thing, I never knew. I felt a little bad until she came back from summer break on the arm of a third-year soccer player. The little tart.

Ryu still hung out with the guys and slept on his desk, but he was a lot less tense, especially around me. When I asked Ayane about it, she explained that he'd probably had it pretty rough trying to hide his feelings around me for so long. It was a relief for him to get it out in the open finally. Those beautiful dark eyes wore contentment now, rather than those glimmers I'd seen before but hadn't been able to recognize for what they were: sadness or fear or frustration.

Once in a while I thought I saw a flicker of something when Tohru's name was mentioned, but I didn't know what it meant or if I maybe imagined it. I finally got my answer when Tohru and Haruka came to visit during our summer break. I had a sneaking suspicion that Pops had blabbed, and Tohru just had to come and see the spectacle for himself.

Pops closed up the restaurant early that afternoon so we could all spend some time together before they had to head back the next day. I was in high spirits, able to enjoy the married couple without an ounce of jealousy or regret now that I'd recognized Ryu as my true soulmate.

"Well, it's getting pretty late. I better head home now," I said as we finished up another card game. I stood and said my goodbyes, while my boyfriend remained stubbornly in his seat.

"Ryu!" I scolded. "You're not making me walk home alone, are you?" Tohru ribbed him for his unchivalrous behavior while he rose languidly and joined me at the door. I waved enthusiastically as we slipped out into the balmy evening air. Sighing, I grabbed his bicep and enjoyed the trip down his arm to take his hand as we walked.

It had felt funny at first—holding hands like little kids—but I loved the physical contact and soon forgot to be embarrassed by it. In fact, the most surprising thing about our new relationship was how I'd made a complete hundred and eighty degree reversal with regard to showing affection. I'd thought it would be weird to hug or kiss my childhood friend. But personal space and physical boundaries went out the window back in the days of hiding under bushes together and wiping mud camouflage on each other's faces. Now that my feelings had changed, it seemed I just couldn't get enough of touching him, holding him, kissing him. It was like my heart recognized all the time he'd spent loving me—when we could have been together if I hadn't been so dense—and it funneled all those years into the few moments we had alone.

So as we walked hand in hand, I chattered away, laughing about this or that incident in our card games, or about the way Haruka's competitive streak snuck through as she got more comfortable with us. I didn't notice Ryu being quieter than usual.

When we'd passed the convenience store, I tugged him around the corner into the shadows. This had become a habit of mine—playfully yanking him around the side of a building, or behind a handy tree, or into a deserted corner of the library where I could kiss him with abandon.

I did so now, pulling his head down and giving myself over to the music of cicadas and the feel of his arms around me. After a little while he murmured, "I better head back. They'll wonder what's taking so long."

I stole some more kisses, interjecting, "They know what's taking so long." I was rewarded with his warm chuckle.

After another blissful minute, he interrupted me again. "Chizuru." Undeterred, I trailed kisses along his jaw. "Was everything okay tonight?" he asked.

"Hm?" I wasn't paying much attention to his words.

"You didn't mind hanging out with Tohru and Haruka?"

I finally pulled away to read his face. "No, why should I?" I was genuinely lost.

His expression was serious, and that concern I'd seen before was back. "This is the first time you've seen them since we started dating. I wasn't sure if you might…" He trailed off, following his unfinished sentence with a heavy sigh.

"If I might what?" I thought I knew what he was hinting at, and it was getting me angry. "Might not want to be seen with you?" I gave his shoulders a shove with both hands. "Might regret going out with you?" Another shove. "Might still be wanting Tohru instead of you?" I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in both hands, pushing my obstinate face in his. I was breathing heavily, and not for the reason I had been a few minutes ago.

He remained still, those dark eyes unafraid of my wrath but afraid of the truth. My heart couldn't stand to see him like that.

"You idiot," I said feebly. I wanted to whack him but instead threw my arms around him in a violent hug. I brought my lips close to his ear, rasping out. "I don't think about Tohru anymore. You're the one I want to be with." I took a breath, my heart pounding hard. "You're the one I'm in love with."

I squeezed him close, trying to express the strength of my feelings without words. I continued in a normal tone of voice. "So quit wasting time on being stupid when you could be kissing me."

I was relieved to hear him chuckle. He brought his face close to mine and I felt the smile on his lips as he said, "Sounds good to me."

Then he pulled me against him and kissed me the way I wanted him to…without thought, without reservation, and with all the passion he'd been storing up over the years he'd waited. For me.

I lost myself in his kisses, my hands caressing the short hairs at the nape of his neck, the strong throwing muscles of his back, his flat stomach. When my thumbs skirted under the waistband of his shorts, he inhaled sharply and suddenly grabbed my wrists.

"Don't," he said between rapid breaths. Speechless, I stared at him, watching the alarm on his face gradually subside as his breathing returned to normal.

"What… what's the matter?" I asked. He'd scared me and I wasn't totally sure what I'd done wrong.

"Chizuru." He looked down at where my hands were trapped and shifted so that he held mine in a supplicating posture. His thumbs stroked my knuckles affectionately, or nervously. "Some things will have to wait until we're married. Okay?"

 _Huh? Ohhhhhh._

My face flushed. I hadn't really considered what I was doing, what it might mean to him. As usual, I'd been letting my emotions take me wherever they wanted.

As I thought about it now, his statement didn't surprise me. Ryu is a very moral person. It's one of the things I admire most about him. With a swell of pride I recognized how—even in our most passionate moments—he'd always been completely respectful of me. It made me feel precious. And it made him even more special in my eyes.

My pensive silence must have been unnerving. "Chizuru, I don't…"

I interrupted. "It's okay," I assured him. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said quickly. A guilty chuckle escaped and he leaned over me to whisper in my ear, "It was fun." I felt a little smug at that.

"But," he continued, meeting my eyes again. "We're not going to go there. And I won't be changing my mind. I hope you can respect that."

"I'll try," I said cheekily. In truth, it felt like the right thing to do. We could wait until…

"Hold on," I said, my eyes growing wide as I remembered exactly what he'd said. "Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Heh." He mussed my hair playfully. "Not yet."

 _Not…yet?_ I liked the sound of that.

My good humor restored, I couldn't resist harassing him a bit. "Why don't you hang out at my house for a while?" I led him by the hand as I started walking again.

"I thought you said it was late…"

"Oh," I said dismissively, "I only said that so we could get out of there and I could have you to myself."

"Really?"

A self-conscious chuckle escaped. "Yeah, sorry." A pleased grunt was his response.

"So," I said brightly, "Want to come inside and check out wedding venues?"

He blanched, "What?"

"Most of them have web sites, so we could start looking online." His expression was priceless and made it difficult to keep a straight face.

"But… I said I wasn't… asking…"

I busted out laughing, whacking his arm repeatedly. He was so relieved he wasn't even angry.

"I'm just kidding," I said, wiping moisture from my eyes.

"Thank goodness," he sighed. A mischievous glint lit his eyes and he said, "Besides, you'll probably be the one to ask me."

"Only if you take too long," I teased.

"How long is too long?" he asked warily.

I busted out laughing again.

"What?"

I wrapped my hands around his arm and nestled against him, still grinning. "I love hanging out with you." He grunted and wrapped his arm around my waist as we continued walking.

We reached my porch and I pulled his other arm around me. "Now kiss me goodnight," I said jauntily, turning my face up to his.

He smiled and humored me.

"I love you," I told him.

"I'll never get tired of hearing that," he said in a rare moment of vulnerability. It made me blush.

I stammered, "W-well, go on home now before they all go to bed."

"Why do you think I'm stalling?"

I laughed. "I hate to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure they'll wait for as long as it takes."

He groaned. Giving me one more peck on the cheek, he said, "Goodnight. I love you."

As I watched him jog away, I said quietly, "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

==THE END==

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